Apple of my Eye
by giaparrilla
Summary: Regina Mills is Emma Swan's English teacher. What if Regina isn't as cold as everyone sees her?
1. Chapter 1

Hey you guys! This is my very first OUAT fanfic and I'm pretty new to the fandom. I have no idea where I'm going but I hope you all enjoy this! I'm always open to suggestions. Enjoy x

Chapter 1

Emma Swan adjusted her hair and smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkles in her jeans. They were skin tight, really, they added to her signature look. She pulled on the slightly tattered red leather jacket she had had for the last couple years. Standing in front of her full length mirror, she looked herself up and down. She wore a tan colored t-shirt underneath, which went perfectly with the color of her jacket. She wore black knee-high boots, which went perfectly with her skin tight jeans.

_Damn I look good._ Before she could finish ogling herself, she heard her foster mom call her. "Emma, are you awake?"

Mary Margaret loved her foster daughter to death, but she couldn't for life of her ever get Emma to wake up on time. So when she walked up to the blonde's room, she was flabberghasted to see a fully dressed teenager, ready for school.

Emma gave her a smirk that told her she knew just how surprised she was. "Mary Margaret, it's my first day of school in Storybrooke, of course I got up early! I just want to make a good impression, you know? I can feel that it's going to be a good year!"

Taken aback by her daughter's positivity, she fought back a smile but soon her cheeks gave way and her lips curled upward. Throwing her arms around the girl, she tightened her grip and held her close. "Emma, I'm so proud of you! Will you let me make you breakfast?"

"Uh…" Emma was never one to ask for too many things, especially having someone cook for her. In her old foster homes she was lucky if they fed her dinner.

"I don't even know why I asked, I'm not taking no for an answer, come on!" Grabbing her wrist, Mary Margaret pulled her down the stairs and sat her down on the stool in front of the bar in the kitchen. "So, what does your day look like?"

Emma got up to grab her schedule from her bag because well, even she didn't know. "Uh…" She pulled out the white slip of paper and read it to her foster mom:

_**1**__**st**__** Period(7:35-8:21)- Physical Education (Lucas)**_

_**2**__**nd**__** Period(8:25-9:11)- AP Chemistry(Gold)**_

_**3**__**rd**__** Period(9:15-9:56)-AP Government(Hopper)**_

_**4**__**th**__** Period(10:00-10:41)-Free**_

_**5**__**th**__** Period(10:45-11:25)-Health**_

_**6**__**th**__** Period(11:29-12:09)-AP Literature &amp; Composition(Mills)**_

_**7**__**th**__** Period(12:13-12:53)-Lunch**_

_**8**__**th**__** Period(12:57-1:37)-AP Spanish(Gomez)**_

_**9**__**th**__** Period(1:41-2:21)-AP Physics(Nolan)**_

"Wow Emma, you're smart!" Mary Margaret was unable to contain her wonderment. She knew Emma was smart, but she didn't know she was a genius!

Emma's cheeks flushed red. She knew she was slightly smarter than the other kids, but she didn't like to boast about it. She was 16, but taking senior classes. The only thing she had to hold onto in her foster homes was her knowledge, and not a day went by that she wasn't grateful for that. "Thanks."

The two ate their pancakes and eggs in a comfortable silence until Mary Margaret took one look at her watch. "Wow, the time really escaped me! We'd better get going!" MM offered to give Emma a ride to school every morning since the Elementary School was a short walk away from the high school.

Grabbing her bag, they shuffled out of the room and into MM's car. Emma looked out the window on the drive. She didn't realize how small Storybrooke really was until she rode through the town. Resting her head on the window, she began to think about everything that ever happened to her. She didn't even notice when Mary Margaret stopped the car or that they were at her school. She did however noticed when a warm, pale hand reached up to squeeze her shoulder.

When their eyes met, Emma noticed how Mary Margaret's usually cheerful eyes were now filled with concern. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

Nodding her head, Emma shook MM's hand off her shoulder and was going to get out of the car when the same hand grabbed her hand that was on the door handle and held it within her's. Giving Emma a kiss on the cheek, Mary Margaret nuzzled her head against the girls' affectionately. "I know you were thinking about your past. Try to think of happy things right now. It's your last first day of high school at a new school and I want you to focus on that. I love you Emma, have a good day."

Emma couldn't hide the warmth she felt in her heart at Mary Margaret's words. When she started slipping back into her dark place, Mary Margaret gave her a pointed look which forced Emma to chuckle at the woman's solemnity. "Okay, see you later MM. I hope you have a good day too." Getting out of the car, she waved at the woman before she walked inside the high school.

The building wasn't large at all, but it wasn't small either. Emma couldn't describe it, but it fit Storybrooke perfectly. Once inside, she was engrossed in the colossal of people that occupied the building. It wasn't so much that there were many people, it was that she came right before first period as destined to start. Making her way to the main office, she waited politely and patiently until the woman called her up.

"Name please." The woman honestly sounded like she'd rather die than do her job, but determined to make an impression, Emma's smile never faltered.

"Emma Swan."

"Oh you're new here, congratulations." This time, the woman didn't hide the sarcasm. Handing Emma another fresh copy of her schedule and a hall pass, she looked pointedly at Emma. "I issue the hall passes here. Go to class, do not skip class. If you skip class, you'll spend the day with me, and I don't want to spend the day with you in detention."

Emma simply nodded and thanked the woman before heading out of the room. Not needing to stop at her new locker, she walked to the gymnasium. Cringing slightly, she noticed it was already full of girls who were now staring at her. Pretending not to notice, she walked up to the teacher and handed her the pass before taking a seat on the bleachers in the corner.

"As I said class, my name is Mrs. Lucas, but you can call me Granny. This year we will start with flag football and thereafter go through units of tennis, soccer, running, basketball, lacrosse, and fitness testing. I have three rules. Rule number one, I need your participation. I'm not saying you need to be Olympians, but in order to pass my class you'd better do what I say. Rule number two, don't skip my class. If I catch you skipping my class, you'll be sorry. Rule number three, don't mess with my girls. All of you are officially my girls. I know how cruel all of you can be, so don't even act like you don't know what I'm talking about. Mess with someone else, I mess with you. Any questions?"

When no one in the room raised their hands, Granny told them that they could have this period as a study hall. Because it was the first day of school, they just sat and talked. Emma pulled out her cell phone and checked it for messages. _0 messages. _She sighed and pulled out her schedule.

Soon enough, the bell rang. Emma had never been more happy to have been out of a class in her life. Maybe this year wasn't what she had hoped it would be. The day went on until Emma had a free period. She wasn't really sure what someone would do during a free period, so she was a deer in headlights. She felt her heart skip a beat when someone touched her on her shoulder.

Ruby Lucas held her hands up in defense as Emma quickly turned to see who the offender was. "Hey, calm down! I was just trying to say hi.."

Gasping for air, Emma held her chest until she was able to get her heart rate low enough to speak. "Hey, I'm sorry, you just scared me is all."

Chuckling and nodding in agreement, she began to speak. "I'm Ruby Lucas", she held out her hand and shaked the blonde's still quivering hand.

"Lucas as in...?"

"Yes, Granny is my grandmother."

Nodding, Emma looked at her, waiting for her to get to her point. "Anyway, my friends and I are sitting over there during our free period and," she pointed over to a group of about five people who were sitting at a table together, now waving at her, she continued, "So I was wondering if you would like to join us. Each year of high school, we've added people to the group and I love meeting new people, so it's great. So yeah, will you join us?"

Considering it for a moment, Emma thought of the pros and cons. Yeah, she could go sit with new people and possibly make friends she would have for the rest of her life, or she could go read a book until this period was over. Before she could say yes or no, she heard the squealing of Ruby Lucas and felt her hands once again on her shoulders. _Touchy._

"I know you're gonna say no. Don't! Say yes!"

Going against her better judgment, Emma simply nodded her head and followed Ruby to her seat, trying to ignore the squealing. When she arrived to the table, everyone around her cheered. _If this isn't the weirdest group of people…_

Just when she thought it couldn't get weirder, she heard what sounded like a million "Hi Emma's". Saying a quiet hello to all of them, she took a seat next to a blonde girl. She could tell the girl wanted to say something, but she was interrupted by a boy across the table.

"Hey Emma, I'm Graham."

"Hey Graham, it's nice to meet you." Emma observed the boy. He was good looking, and Emma could tell he may have been the school manwhore. Honestly, it didn't matter to her as long as he stayed away from her in that sense.

"Hey Emma, I'm Katherine Midas!" Emma turned and saw that it was the blonde next to her who was saying hello. "I'm Ruby's best friend, and I can't wait to get to know you better!" Emma smiled and was grateful she had people who were being so nice to her.

After getting introduced to everyone, the bell rang and they all gathered their things and got ready to go to their next class. Once she got to health, she sat through a period of syllabus reading and introducing herself to everyone else in the class. Looking down at her schedule, she saw that she had AP Literature &amp; Composition next.

All of her classes had been somewhat close to her, so when she saw that the room number for that room wasn't at all close to where she was, she started to panic. Emma spent the next six minutes wandering the halls, searching for the room she was supposed to go in. It wasn't until she saw Katherine that she felt somewhat relieved. "Katherine!"

Katherine turned to see her new friend and smiled. "Hey Emma! You okay?" Emma took in the blonde's disheveled appearance and instantly rushed to her side.

"Hey Katherine, I'm fine, just lost."

"Let me see your schedule."

Looking at the schedule, Katherine nodded in realization. "All of your previous classes have been down here. If you go up the staircase, you'll see some bathrooms and if you turn to your right the first room on your left is the room you want to be in. Your teacher is a bitch, so good luck with that."

Not even holding back her laughter, Emma let out a chuckle. "Well, if she's a bitch that means she's more interesting than all my teachers so far put together."

Thanking Katherine, Emma followed the directions she was given and was standing outside a door that said "Ms. Mills".

Upon her arrival, Ms. Mills had just finished sharing her rules regarding punctuality with the class. "As I stated previously class, I do not tolerate tardiness", she stated, glaring at Emma. Emma blushed sheepishly and found a seat. _Great, in the front. _Cursing under her breath, she sat back in seat and began to doodle on her paper until she felt someone standing over her.

"Is there something you'd like to share with that class….?" Ms. Mills looked at Emma, expecting the blonde to produce a name.

"Emma Swan."

"Ms. Swan. Would you care to share what you've been doing for the last twenty minutes with the class?"

When Emma shook her head, Ms. Mills grabbed her notebook and read the writing on the page. Emma felt relieved that the teacher wouldn't understand a word on the page, considering it was in Spanish. Ms. Mills' face softened as she read the words on the page. She placed Emma's notebook back on her desk and began teaching again.

It was then that Emma took in the woman's appearance. Licking her lips slightly as she watched the older woman, she couldn't help but pay extra attention to how curvaceous the woman before her was. She stood about 5'5, in a grey pant suit having taken off the blazer due to the temperature. She was wearing a magenta blouse, which brought out the color of her skin and went nicely with the grey. Emma's eyes drifted to her cleavage. Only one button was left undone, but it was enough to leave Emma with a pretty good idea of what was covered.

Emma seemed to analyze the woman's body for the rest of the class period until she heard the bell. All day it had been music to her ears, but now her heart felt as if it were breaking when she had to leave the woman. Before she could get out of the door, she heard a voice calling her.

Turning, she saw it was Ms. Mills, sitting on one of the desks, waiting for her expectantly. When she stood in front of her, she waited for the teacher to tell her what she called her over for.

"Miss Swan, please do see that you're on time to my classes from now on—"

"I got lost, it's my first day here."

Ms. Mills raised an eyebrow at the girl interrupting her, but she didn't say anything. She simply held up her hand to stop the blonde from speaking. "I don't wish to hear your excuses Miss Swan. All I ask is that you're on time and that you give me your undivided attention. This is not Regents English, I assume you do know that dear."

When all she received was a nod in response, she sighed. "I suppose you are dismissed."

With that, Ms. Mills was left with the gaping silence that filled the air.

She walked over to her desk and sat down in the chair, determined to get some paperwork done. What she wasn't prepared for was the note that sat on her desk. It wasn't on any special paper and the handwriting was unrecognizable.

It said:

_**Smile. **_

And that she did.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm happy you guys liked my first chapter! I can really see this story getting somewhere. To the person who asked about the note, It'll be revealed later *wink wink*! If you have any suggestions or comments please leave reviews!

Chapter 2

Emma wanted to stay behind and see the look on Ms. Mills' face when she looked down at the note, but she didn't want to risk being caught. She truly believed Ms. Mills just needed to let her hair down sometimes, and Emma was going to make her do that, whether she liked it or not. Stopping at her locker she got her lunch and headed to the cafeteria. Looking around, she instantly felt awkward and out of place. Everyone around her was sitting with their friends and she was still being a loner by looking for somewhere to sit.

It was then that she saw Ruby standing on a chair far off in the distance, waving her over. She smiled internally as everyone at the table looked super excited to see her. When she approached the table, everyone around her greeted her with a "Hey Emma!" and a smile. Sitting down, she peered inside her lunch box to see a note from Mary Margaret.

_**Have a wonderful day! Heart you! Xoxo –MM**_

Emma smiled at the note and tucked it in her bag. She had only been staying with Mary Margaret for about a month but she thought this home was going to be a good one, and that made her immensely happy. Smiling when she saw MM had packed her favorite, she began to eat as she listened to the playful banter between Ruby and Graham.

"Ruby I didn't sleep with her, she slept with me! It wasn't my fault!"

Ruby gave him her famous death glare and scoffed, "Yeah and I'm sure your dick just magically fell into her, right?"

Everyone including Emma shared a laugh at Ruby's vulgarity. Graham simply shook his head and shoved another chip into his mouth. He got into these arguments with Ruby every day and never won any of them. Now, he decided that it was a lost cause. Seeing this as a new opportunity to get to know Emma, Katherine quickly went over and occupied the seat next to Emma.

"So Emma, what'd you think of your new English teacher?"

Emma couldn't hide the blush that crept onto her face. _She's a sex goddess. _"Uh…she was okay I guess."

"Was she a bitch like I said?"

Emma couldn't help but smile at this. _She's a sexy bitch._ "She yelled at me for being late and then I wasn't paying attention so she yelled at me after class."

Everyone at the table's mouths dropped open. A girl named Belle spoke up next. "You weren't paying attention to Ms. Mills?" Belle was the quietest in the group and also known as the sweetheart. She always had her head in a book, but this time she couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask Emma about this.

Emma looked around the table and saw all eyes were now on her. "I may or may not have doodled on my paper", Emma blushed and tucked a stray hair away from her face, "I was paying attention at first, but then she started talking about the different types of literature we'd be reading and I couldn't pay attention anymore, sorry."

By then, everyone at the table was laughing, including Belle. "Emma I like you! None of us would've ever dared to do that", said Ruby.

"Yeah, I mean she's boring but no amount of talking could make me defythe Evil Queen", Graham agreed.

"Evil Queen?" Emma raised an eyebrow. Did people really think that badly of her? She didn't understand why everyone hated the woman so much and thought so ill of her. To her, Ms. Mills just seemed like someone who demanded respect, and who was she to judge her for that?

It was Ruby who spoke up. "Yes, Evil Queen. She fails everyone and doesn't care about it. She's evil and she acts like a queen."

This time, Emma didn't respond. She didn't know why, but she was growing more and more annoyed with everyone's opinions on Ms. Mills. She wasn't saying she loved Ms. Mills, but there was something about Ms. Mills that told her there was more to her story than some yelling and failed students. Part of her wanted to get to know the woman, and that scared her more than anything. Brushing it off, she got up and threw away her wrappers.

Before Emma knew it, her first day of school was over and she was walking over to the elementary school to meet Mary Margaret. When she reached the woman's classroom, she took in how bright it looked. _Typical Mary Margaret._ Paintings, drawings, and other works of art adorned the walls. When she got up to the front of the room, she saw Mary Margaret's biography. All of it was kind of boring really until she saw in bold print 'Mother of Emma Swan'.

It used to creep her out when people would get attached to her so fast, mostly because she knew that they were using her or trying to get a check from the government. But with Mary Margaret, she just felt this inexplicable bond between them. Thinking about how much she cared for the woman brought tears to her eyes. Those tears were quickly stopped though as she heard footsteps coming from the boots that Mary Margaret had insisted on wearing today. Emma thought the shoes were hideous, and she was sure MM did too, she just probably liked to hear herself walk.

"Hey you!" Mary Margaret's face brightened (if possible) at the sight of her daughter. Her day had been good like any other day, but there was something amazing about seeing Emma after a day of being apart. She missed her whenever she wasn't around and there wasn't a second she wasn't wondering what Emma was doing. She smiled internally as she thought about this, she felt like such a _mom._ It made her the happiest woman in the world. Hugging Emma, she pulled out a chair for Emma to sit in next to her desk and sat down herself.

"Hey MM, how was your day?"

"Wellllll my day went well! Except, I couldn't help but miss you. How was your day?"

Emma couldn't help but chuckle as she watched Mary Margaret pout in a way that simply screamed _Mary Margaret. _"I missed you too. My day was good, I made friends!"

Mary Margaret held out both her hands so Emma could slap them. "I'm so happy for you! I knew people would love you!"

Emma beamed. "Yeah, my friends seem to like me. They invited me to hang out with them during my free period and I sat with them at lunch!" Emma couldn't help but be excited. She had never really been disliked other than by her foster siblings, but she loved the idea of making new friends and getting to know new people. She was shy at first, but once she warmed up to people she had a ball.

MM smiled, "Tell me about them! What are their names?"

Emma chuckled at Mary Margaret's eagerness to hear about her friends. She'd never admit it, but it made her incredibly happy to hear that MM truly cared about her days. When she was younger, no one ever asked her about her day or even pretended to care about her unless they were getting a check waved in their face. "Well, my first friend is a girl named Ruby Lucas. She's super friendly, a bit too friendly if you ask me, but she's very kind. Her best friend's name is Katherine and Katherine was the girl who helped me find the English room when I got lost. There's another boy named Graham who is a huge player but still super nice. There's another girl named Belle who is super quiet and reads a lot, but she seems to like me so yeah, we're friends. Apparently there's another girl named Tinkerbell, but she is still in Indonesia with her parents."

Mary Margaret couldn't contain her excitement any longer, she did a happy dance in her chair. "I'm so happy! I'm glad you had a good day because you don't deserve any less sweetheart. I hope the life I give you is better than the one you had."

Emma nodded her head. "You've given me a life full of love and warmth and that's something I never had. I'm not ready to talk about what happened yet, but I promise this life you've showed me is so much better."

That made MM feel so much better. All she wanted to do was make Emma happy.

"So, what do you say we have Granny's for dinner?"

_Granny's…That sounds familiar. _"You mean Granny Lucas?"

"Yeah, you know her?"

"She's my gym teacher!"

Recognition flooded Mary's face. "I did see that on your schedule. Anyway, Granny's is where everyone goes when they want a home cooked meal and either are too lazy or just want to taste Granny's food. I'm sorry I haven't taken you yet, I've just been so busy and—"

Emma cut the woman off and chuckled, "Mary Margaret! It's okay! We will go today and we will stuff our faces for once."

"For once? Emma you shovel food into your mouth on a daily basis!"

Emma threw her head back and laughed at the woman's attempt at a joke. She had to admit, Mary Margaret was funny, but only when she wasn't trying to be. After MM grabbed her bags, they got into the brunette's car and drove to Granny's. "Race you to the door!" Emma screamed at MM, knowing the woman wasn't going to race her. She honestly just liked to run and be active, no matter what the time of day. She didn't however notice the figure walking into Granny's, running into them full force. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, I didn't even—"

Emma's jaw dropped as she took in the disheveled appearance of her English teacher, Ms. Mills. If the woman hadn't been so livid, she actually would've laughed at the situation.

"Miss Swan, what a displeasure."

Emma nodded her head; she should've seen it coming. "Hello Ms. Mills…How are you?"

Ms. Mills responded with the raise of a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Really, Miss Swan? You almost kill me with your barbarism and now you're trying to make small talk? Wow, first impressions really aren't your thing."

Emma honestly couldn't think of a proper response to that. Why was this woman so sexy when she was ripping her apart with insults? Shaking her head, she merely nodded at Ms. Mills, letting the woman know she had heard her and was listening.

"Anyway, Miss Swan, I shall see you in my classroom _on time_, am I right?"

Emma thought Ms. Mills would've smirked or at least shown some sign of mirth, but she showed none and looked completely serious. Gulping, she nodded and continued to stand there.

"Well, I haven't got all day, are you going to step aside or not Miss Swan?"

Emma's face turned beet red, realizing she was blocking both the entrance to Granny's and the way she assumed Ms. Mills needed to go. "Sorry Ms. Mills.", stepping aside she watched as the brunette walked away from her, throwing in a "Have a nice night!" that was only met with silence.

_Damn she hates me. _Shaking her head, she turned as she felt the hand of her stepmother on her shoulder. "Hey sweetie, everything okay, who was that?"

Nodding her head, she gave Mary Margaret a reassuring smile, "Yes that was just my English teacher, I don't think she likes me very much."

Mary Margaret gave the blonde's shoulder a squeeze and looked her in the eye, smiling, "You're a wonderful girl and there isn't a thing about you not to love. She'll come around soon enough and if she doesn't, I think that says more about her than it does you."

Emma took comfort in Mary Margaret's kind words. A few words of encouragement from her meant the world to her and could make such a huge difference. "Thanks MM."

They had just gotten inside Granny's when Emma and Mary Margaret sat down at the counter. A cheerful Ruby Lucas approached the two, conspicuously very excited to see Emma. "Hey Emma! Oh my gosh, you didn't tell me Miss Blanchard was your mom!" Emma looked anywhere but at her awkwardly. If Ruby did know she was a foster child, she didn't show it.

"Yeah," was all she could say. It's not that she didn't think of MM as her mom, because she did, but she didn't know if MM wanted to keep her and she didn't know her well enough to go around telling the world she was her mother so she hadn't said anything.

"Hey Ruby! You can call me Mary Margaret, I'm too young to be known as Miss Blanchard."

All three girls shared a laugh. After Ruby took their order, Mary Margaret and Emma made small talk. "So Emma, have you met any cute boys at school?"

Emma groaned. _No, but I met a sexy woman this morning. Does that count? _She blushed.

"Oh my gosh you totally have! Spill!" Everyone in the diner drew their attention towards a squealing Mary Margaret.

Emma didn't like lying, so she merely avoided the question. "I haven't met any cute boys yet, but I'll tell you when I do, promise."

She saw the woman deflate, but she seemed to accept that as an answer. Before MM could interrogate her anymore, Ruby arrived with their food.

"Double cheeseburger with a side of onion rings?" Emma raised her hand. Giving MM her plate, Ruby winked at Emma and then went back to work.

The two ate in silence, Emma momentarily commenting on how good the food tasted. When they were done, they got back into Mary Margaret's car and headed home. _Home. _It warmed Emma's heart to be able to refer to some place as that. She never thought she'd find a family, let alone someone who loved her for her. No, she hadn't told MM of her sexuality, but she had a feeling the woman would be more than accepting.

That night when Emma lay in her bed, she thought of the family she had always dreamed of. She once wanted a mom, a dad, maybe a brother or a sister, and a dog. Now? She wouldn't trade her family for anything.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! I'm happy you like this story, I like it too. OUAT is a lot easier to write for than Grey's Anatomy, or at least I think so. If you have suggestions, feel free to give me those, I love getting asked questions! As for the person who asked about the notebook, yes you will know what was in the notebook but not until later when it's relevant. I'm not going to string the angst out for too long, but I'm also not going to put our two faves together right away, you feel? Anyway, Enjoy x

Chapter 3

The next day, Regina Mills walked into her classroom 5th period to find another note.

_**Ms. Mills~**_

_**There is no friend as loyal as a book.**_

She became so engrossed in the simple note that she hadn't noticed it was on a book. Lifting the post-it note, she looked to see a book on her desk, filled with apple recipes. Inside the cover was another note,

_**Beauty is power; a smile is its sword.**_

The words lay there, printed in ink. While Regina wondered who could possibly be sending her these notes, she couldn't help but feel her lips start to curl upwards at the sight. Who could this be? She didn't openly divulge that Hemingway was her favorite author or that she admired John Ray. Forgetting about their identity, she was happy. She was happy because someone finally cared.

Emma stood outside Regina's room, being a creep. She couldn't help but feel victorious when she witnessed the smile that crossed the brunette's face when she saw the book and note. She was going through Mary Margaret's book collection and the woman said she hated apples, and she happened to know that Ms. Mills loved them so she jumped at the opportunity.

Now, all she had to do was get the older woman to stop hating her.

6th period, Emma arrived in English class on time. She was hoping she could get a seat in the back, but Ms. Mills must've read her mind because she told the blonde to "sit in her previous seat and not dare think about sitting anywhere else." Today Ms. Mills was giving them a pop quiz to see what they knew.

When she got to the end of the quiz, she saw that Ms. Mills had a bonus question. She jumped at the opportunity to answer, because she knew the woman never did that sort of thing from what she gathered the day before.

**BONUS QUESTION: Who is my favorite author? **

Reading the question, Emma's heart raced. She knew Ms. Mills would give her crap for not attempting the question, but she'd also give her shit if she didn't answer correctly. She assigned homework from her website, which contained the answer to the question, but then she'd know or suspect that Emma was the one who sent the notes.

Deciding she'd answer incorrectly but with a perfectly good answer, she answered: _Edgar Allan Po. _Good. She picked a brilliant author, but not the right author. Walking up to Ms. Mills' desk, she handed in her paper. She noticed she was the first one done, so she took out a book and started reading.

Before she knew it, the bell was ringing which signaled the end of the period. Before she could exit the classroom, Ms. Mills called her over to her desk.

"Miss Swan, I'd like to see you for a moment."

Emma made her way over to her teacher who in her opinion looked indifferent for a change. She didn't look as angry as she usually did or as cold. "Yes, Ms. Mills?"

"You answered my bonus question incorrectly, why?"

"Did I answer all the other questions correctly?"

"Miss Swan, I asked you a question. Instead of responding with one yourself, please answer me."

"I didn't know the answer."

Regina didn't know why she was doing this. Every student in her class had gotten it wrong, why had she expected this time to be different? Maybe it was someone from another one of her classes, or perhaps a teacher. "Very well Miss Swan, you are dismissed."

Emma watched as the woman that had just dismissed her managed to look kind of…happy. Walking out of the room, she vowed that she would give the woman a note every day, just to make her smile.

When Emma walked into the lunch room, she saw Ruby and Katherine giving her suspicious looks. She tried to wipe the smile off her face, but she'd already been caught. "What's got you in such a good mood?" Ruby looked more excited to know what it was than Emma was to begin with.

It was Katherine's turn to tease her now. "Yeah, I'd like to know as well." She winked, sending Emma the message that the conversation was playful and that she didn't have to answer if she didn't really want to. "Didn't you just come from English? You should be frowning."

A blush crept upon Emma's features. _Actually she's super sexy and seeing her makes my day. _"I'm smiling because my mom made me my favorite for lunch." She lied.

Ruby sent her a knowing look, but decided she'd let it go. She was however distracted when a blonde girl came up to her and hugged her from behind. Turning to see who it was, she let out a howl. "TInk! I missed you so much!" Throwing her arms around the girl, she smiled merrily.

Everyone else in the group began to laugh and cheer at the return of their friend. When all the cheering died down, Katherine grabbed Emma's hand and practically dragged her over to Tinkerbell. "Hey Tink, this is our new friend Emma. Emma-Tink, Tink-Emma."

Tinkerbell was such a happy person that she was even more thrilled to meet someone new. She threw her tiny arms around Emma and squeezed, causing Emma to stiffen then relax into the hug. Sometimes she forgot how friendly these people were. "It's nice to meet you Emma! How are you liking the school?"

Emma let out a sigh of relief when the girl released her from the hug. It's not that she didn't like hugs, she just wasn't used to them. It was Mary Margaret who had gotten her accompanied to them, and that was only a month ago. "It's nice to meet you too, Tinkerbell. Or do you prefer TInk?"

The girl nodded. "Tink is fine. Anyway, how do you like school?"

Emma didn't think two days was a long enough time to judge whether or not she liked a place or not, but she didn't tell the other girl that. "I like it a lot, you guys have all been really nice and accepting to me and I couldn't be more grateful."

The girls in the group shared an 'aww' while Graham simply nodded. Emma chuckled, _boys_. As everyone sat down, Tink started telling everyone about her trip to Indonesia with her parents. While Emma cared and thought it was interesting, her mind couldn't help but drift. She was pulled from her thoughts by a soft tap on her arm.

"Hey, are you alright?" It was Belle. Emma hadn't taken the time to fully look at the girl, but she was beautiful. She had long, auburn hair and an Australian accent that made her that much more adorable.

"Yes, I'm fine. Why?" Emma knew why. Mary Margaret would always ask her if she was okay when she zoned out, because she was usually in another world, thinking about something depressing.

Belle could tell Emma was hiding something, so she took a different approach instead of prying. "When I first came here last year from Australia, I had been a loner my whole life. I had kept to myself and read my books. When I came here, I still read books as you can see, but I have friends now. On the weekends, I have people to hang out with. At first, I was like you and I thought that it was too good to be true, but it isn't. I don't know what happened to you in the past, but you deserve good things, Emma. You also deserve to be happy."

"How did you—"

Emma was cut off with a gentle squeeze of her shoulder. "I know because I can recognize that look in your eyes when you think no one is paying attention. Look, just know you've got a friend in me." Taking out her phone, Belle took it and turned to the dial screen so Emma could put in her number. "Give me your number, and I'll give you mine."

The other people in the group saw this and immediately wanted Emma's number too. After giving everyone her phone number, she began to smile at the thought of having people to text. She usually only used her phone as an alarm and something to look up problems with, but now she was excited that she was actually making friends.

Belle was right, though. She did think her life was becoming too good to be true, but she wouldn't share that with Mary Margaret—at least not yet, anyway.

A couple hours later, she found herself sitting in Mary Margaret's classroom, waiting for the woman to come back. When she heard footsteps, she could tell they weren't Mary Margaret's because the woman didn't tend to walk fast paced and she couldn't hear the sound of those hideous boots she usually wore.

Instead, she saw a man standing in the doorway. "Hello, may I help you?" She asked politely. This man gave her the creeps, but she decided she would be nice for the sake of MM. He could be someone important.

"Yes, hello, I'm Mr. Glass. Have you seen Miss Blanchard?"

As if she heard them talking about her, Mary Margaret came in through the door, saying a quiet 'excuse me' to Sydney.

Sidney Glass was a teacher at Storybrooke Elementary, but he wasn't very popular. He was always in other teachers' business, trying to steal their jobs and bring them down. Every teacher at the place had a lock on everything somewhat valuable to prevent him from stealing it.

"Are you bothering my daughter, Mr. Glass?"

At this, Mr. Glass looked shocked. "Your d_aughter?_"

Emma just watched the scene unplay, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Yes, my daughter. If there's something you need you may ask me, not a minor and certainly not my daughter." Mary Margaret knew exactly how sleazy Sidney could be. He weaseled his way into people's lives and crushed them, after finding out everything about him. He had sticky fingers. Fingers she wanted far away from her daughter.

Emma couldn't help but smile. It warmed her heart that Mary Margaret would protect her, and that she was considered her daughter.

Sidney frowned and walked away. Emma playfully cheered at MM's victory, surprising both her and the woman by pulling her in for a hug. Mary Margaret melted into the hug and kissed the top of Emma's head.

"Emma, are you ready to go?"

When Emma nodded, Mary Margaret gathered her things and headed out the door, Emma on her tail. She loved her little family.

Over the weeks, Emma began to get farther in her advances towards making Ms. Mills happy. It wasn't a significant change, but enough that when the woman bit but didn't bark. Today, Regina wasn't having that good of a morning. Her little notes she got daily cheered her up, and she was even happier to discover a red bag with a post it note on the front. Picking up the note, it read:

_**This isn't an actual note, but this is me telling you I'm giving you three notes today to make up for the weekend, plus today. Enjoy x**_

A smile graced her face when she took out the contents of the bag. In it were two honey crisp apples, and three other post-it notes.

_**You're beautiful like a May fly. **_

_**There is a kind of beauty in imperfection. You're not perfect, but your flaws make you beautiful. Especially that scar on your lip. **_

White hands ghosted across the scar on her lip. She smiled, a wide grin spread across her features. _Who was this person? _Retrieving the third note, she read it

_**Hope your weekend went well, mine was kind of boring. I bet you're trying to figure out who these letters are from. Well, don't. Take pleasure in them. ~anonymous **_

Regina held the note closer to her chest and sighed. It was very rare that someone dared to call her beautiful, let alone paid enough attention to her to notice her scar.

Emma sat once again outside the room peering in at her teacher. She couldn't describe the happiness she felt when she succeeded at making the older woman smile. Deciding to go back to her friends, she skipped off, never letting her smile falter.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for reading guys! I'm trying to update as often as possible, because soon I'll be busy with school again! Also, this story is just really easy to write- everything pretty much comes to me. Enjoy, leave reviews! (If you speak Spanish and see anything I could improve on, please tell me! I'm a student and I don't use a translator so I can use all the help I can get!)

Chapter 4

Emma was sitting in English class, aimlessly staring at the wall in front of her. She didn't mean to zone out, but they were reading MacBeth and taking turns reading, and she could catch up at night like she had been so paying attention wasn't exactly her first priority. It wasn't until she heard her name and saw the scowl on Ms. Mills face when the woman reprimanded her.

"Miss Swan!" Emma's whole body jerked in response, her cheeks turning a bright vermillion, as the whole class was now looking at her.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again." Emma mumbled. She already hated being the center of attention to begin with, but being in trouble at the same time was just icing on the cake. She hated this class.

"I know it won't, because you're going to take over Sarah's part for the rest of the play."

_The rest of the play._ Emma groaned.

"Miss Swan, do you have a problem?" Ms. Mills looked back at the girl with a raise of an eyebrow, daring her to oppose her. When Emma shook her head in response, Ms. Mills grinned and motioned for the class to get back to reading aloud.

At the end of the class period when Emma was about to exit the room, she heard a firm _"Wait"_ from behind her. Ms. Mills.

"Yes, Ms. Mills?"

Emma tried not to lick her lips at the sight of Ms. Mills who was now making that sexy face she always made when things didn't quite go her way. "Tell me you didn't think you were leaving my room without a proper punishment for your actions."

Suddenly, her feet became very interesting. She tried to ignore the feeling of Ms. Mills' eyes boring into her. "I didn't," she said firmly. She may have been ashamed and afraid, but she sure wasn't going to show it. It wasn't even so much that Ms. Mills scared her, it was the fact that she was pining over a woman that hated her guts.

Ms. Mills smacked her lips and clasped her hands together. "Good! Now, you are going to give me twenty minutes of your time, like you took twenty minutes of mine. I don't have anything for you to do, so sit at your desk."

Emma nodded, but she was upset about missing lunch with her friends. As if on cue, her phone beeped but before she could check her phone to see who it was, Ms. Mills was suddenly next to her with her hand held out. "I'll take that."

Sighing, Emma got her phone out of her pocket and handed it to Ms. Mills. Sitting down in a chair, she began to stare at the clock. She didn't want to be caught daydreaming, but she couldn't help it. This time she thought of Spanish. She was pretty good at it, fluent actually, and she always wrote her feelings in Spanish. Quietly getting out her notebook, she began to write to herself. Speaking Spanish calmed her, even more than English did honestly. Mary Margaret didn't speak Spanish, so when the woman upset her it was nice that she had her own language to do so that no one understood.

Once finished, she was going to close it, but she was prevented from doing so as the book was snatched from her desk. "Hey! Give that back?" She reached for the book but Ms. Mills held it out of her reach. _Good thing I wrote it in Spanish. _

Regina scanned the paper thoroughly. Her eyes darted from word to word, tearing up at every single one.

_**No estoy diciendo que quiero morir, pero estoy diciendo que a veces no estoy contenta. Mi vida es Buena, pero mi maestra ella me odia mucho. No pienso que soy importante. A veces, cuando estoy en mi cama lloro toda la noche porque nada hago tener razón. Mary Margaret me dijo que mi Madre me dio a otra familia porque ella me ama, pero dudo que ella me ame o que ella piense de yo. Me acuerdo cuando yo siempre lloraba y mis "hermanos" me diría que nadie me amaba. Ahora, estoy sentando en la clase de Srta. Mills y espero que yo no lloro. **_

_**[I am not saying that I want to die, but I am saying that sometimes I'm not happy. My life is good, but my teacher hates me a lot. I don't think I'm important. Sometimes, when I am in my bed I cry all night because nothing I do is right. Mary Margaret told me that my mom gave me to another family because she loves me, but I doubt that she loves me or thinks of me. I remember when I always cried and my "siblings" would tell me that no one loved me. Now, I am in Ms. Mills' room and I hope I don't cry.] **_

Emma watched as Ms. Mills read her paper. She sighed in relief because she didn't see any signs of recognition on the older woman's face. She watched as the woman gently set her notebook down and went back to her desk. "Emma, you may leave."

Emma searched the brunette's face for any source of sarcasm or what her teacher may have considered a joke. She didn't see any sarcasm, but she did see _guilt? Why would Ms. Mills be guilty?_ Deciding she was just seeing things, she hurried off to meet her friends at lunch. What she didn't notice was the increasing wetness in her teacher's eyes.

Regina Mills was officially guilty. It wasn't an emotion she thought she had, but she realized that was a mere lie and the ache she felt deep inside was ineffable. _How could she do that to Emma? _When she read the blonde's notebook, she didn't think she was serious when she wrote about hoping to finally be someone important and not just a nobody. She guessed Emma was just a fan of Emily Dickinson, but apparently her student really was feeling insignificant, and Regina only added to that.

Regina knew that feeling very well, and it pained her to know that she had hurt a student like she had once been hurt herself. She smiled softly to herself, vowing to treat Emma better with each passing day.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The next morning when Emma came into Ms. Mills' classroom, something felt different. She wondered if it was the note she had left Ms. Mills two periods prior. It wasn't overly sweet, but she admitted to calling the woman beautiful and perhaps a sweet mystery that she couldn't wait to uncover. It was very inappropriate really, which is why she took pleasure in knowing the older woman had no idea that it was her.

The room overall looked more cheerful, and even Killian Jones commented on the aura of the room. What she didn't understand is what she did to deserve a smiling Ms. Mills. But then again, maybe it wasn't her…maybe she was just in an overall good mood.

"Goodmorning Miss Swan! How are you?" Regina hoped that she wasn't trying too hard. She could tell she had exceeded the limits of what was appropriate for someone like her to say, but she didn't care. Emma deserved to know that she was important and that she did matter, no matter what children used to tell her.

Emma raised an eyebrow and muttered, "Goodmorning Ms. Mills, I'm fine, how are you?"

Regina's smile didn't falter at the girl's obvious display of discomfort. "I'm well, dear. Everyone, you may sit where you like."

Now, it was the whole class's turn to be shocked. It was unheard of for Regina Mills not to have assigned seating or any sort of choice in anything. Everyone got up and rapidly moved to the seats of their choice in case Ms. Mills were to change her mind.

Taking a seat next to a girl named Grace, Emma took out her play and read over her lines one last time. Occasionally, Ms. Mills called on the reader to explain the lines they read and more often than not, the person who was reading had no idea what they were reading. Once class started, Emma began reading her part. Throughout the class, Ms. Mills had only asked one question and it wasn't Emma who was asked. This was particularly strange, considering Ms. Mills was known for putting kids on the spot whenever they didn't convey emotion to her liking or seem to care about what they were reading.

In the last ten minutes before class was supposed to end, Ms. Mills asked them to take out a sheet of paper and she told them about their assignment. "Your assignment is to write a ten page paper analyzing a book. You're going to pick a book that I approve of, of course, and read it. You're then going to write a paper on a character of your choice and write about the problems they faced and how they dealt with them. You're then going to create a scenario of a problem they could potentially face and tell me how they would deal with it, based on how the author characterizes them. Finally, you will relate the character to yourself and write about your own personal life. I'm giving you the last ten minutes of class to brainstorm possible books you may want to use."

Emma loved to read. Not as much as Belle, but she usually read one to two books a week, sometimes more if they had a break. She quickly wrote down her ideas and listened to Killian complain about the assignment. She held back a laugh when he was quickly reprimanded by Ms. Mills. "Mr. Jones, what class is it that you are in?"

He looked anywhere but at her. "AP Literature and Composition". Everyone in the class snickered, but that quickly dissipated with one hard glare from Ms. Mills.

"What did you say before Literature, Mr. Jones?"

Killian looked as if he was going to wet his pants, Emma noted. This was surprising because Killian had never showed fear, at least not to Emma. "AP?"

Ms. Mills smiled condescendingly. "That's right, Mr. Jones, AP. This is an _elective, _no one forced you to take my class. If you find that it is too difficult, please transfer. We wouldn't want you to waste your time or my time, now would we?"

When the boy shook his head, Ms. Mills smiled in triumph. Everyone the class sat there, blankly gazing ahead. Everyone was too scared to laugh, and Killian was too afraid to cry. Suddenly, the bell rang and Killian was the first to race out of the door.

"Everyone, don't forget to place your slips on my desk on your way out."

After every student filed out of the room, Regina sat at her desk, preparing to review their book choices. Overall, they were good ideas and would work with the assignment, but some of the students chose books for fifth graders, or books where the protagonists experienced no real struggle. When she was almost finished with the pile, she picked up another sheet of paper with writing on it.

_**To the most beautiful flower of all~**_

_**What you do, the way you think, makes you beautiful. **_

_**You're beautiful when you're not smiling, but you're radiant when you smile. **_

Regina's first instinct was to smile, but she thought about what this meant. She didn't have any paper in that spot on her desk, so whoever gave her the note must be in her class. Grabbing a post-it note, she wrote:

_**I am flattered, but this is highly inappropriate. Please cease these frivolous messages at once or I will punish you as I see fit.**_

Leaving the paper on her desk for whoever it was to find, she took out some papers and started grading. She had to admit, she was kind of sad that the person wasn't her own age. It's not like she was attracted to any of the teachers, but she still felt special for a moment…and noticed. Tears began to build in her eyes as she thought about how she'd been someone's joke. _Why would someone do this?_

Emma watched the woman and her heart ached for her, but she said nothing because she knew she couldn't reveal her identity and that she didn't want to risk making it worse. Heading out of the classroom, she couldn't help but feel sad too. _So when she hurts, I hurt?_ Trying to cheer herself up before she encountered Ruby and the rest of the clan, she was unsuccessful.

"Emma! Hey! What's wrong?" Ruby's hands immediately went onto the blonde's shoulder to comfort her. _What is it with this girl and shoulders? _She rubbed Emma's arm softly before dropping her hand and looking the smaller girl in the eyes. "You can tell me anything, what happened?"

It's not that she didn't trust _Ruby, _she just refused to tell anyone. She couldn't and wouldn't risk her blossoming relationship with Ms. Mills. _Relationship. _Emma scoffed. The woman probably didn't even know her first name. Deciding to push the brunette out of her head for a moment, Emma simply shook her head and offered Ruby the most convincing smile she could muster. "Nothing Rubes, I'm fine!"

Walking to their table, Emma greeted everyone and took a seat next to Belle. It wasn't that she had favorites, but Belle seemed to g_et _her. Everything Emma said and did, Belle seemed to understand and Emma loved that she didn't have to explain everything to someone. "Hey Belle!"

Belle looked up from the book she was currently reading and smiled at the blonde. "Hello Emma, how are you?"

"I'm fine Belle, and yourself?"

The look in Belle's eyes told Emma that the girl didn't believe her, but Emma was grateful that she didn't pry, much like Ruby would. "I'm good Emma, just trying to finish this book so I can start the next one."

It was Katherine who spoke up now. "Belle you're such a bookworm! I swear, why don't you take all my English tests and do all my book reports for me?"

Belle looked over at Emma. "Why don't you ask Emma, she's in _your _grade." After realizing what she said, Belle looked at Emma apologetically.

Everyone at the table gasped. "Emma how are you a junior taking such advanced classes?"

Emma merely shrugged and took a huge bite out of her apple. The rest of the group seemed to chat amongst themselves until the bell rang. The rest of the day, Emma was on autopilot. Even when she was waiting in MM's classroom for her, she found that she didn't have enough curiosity to look around the woman's room like she had before.

When Mary Margaret came in, she could practically feel Emma's sour mood radiating off of her. "Hey Emma, why the long face?"

Emma simply shook her head. "Can we go now?"

Mary Margaret knew better than to push her daughter. Emma would open up to her on her own time. When? She didn't know. "Yes sweetheart, of course"

Once they got in MM's car, the two didn't speak. Mary Margaret didn't talk because she didn't want to upset Emma, and Emma didn't because she wasn't in the mood. Truly, all Emma wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cuddle with her mom, but if she did so that'd make the woman think she needed to talk and she didn't _want _to talk. Instead of talking about her day while MM prepared dinner, she just went straight up to her room.

Checking her phone, she saw that she had a few unread texts.

**Ruby{3:02PM}: Hey Em, you ok?**

**Ruby{3:15PM}: I'm sorry if I was 2 pushy 2day, I just wanted u to b ok.**

**Belle{3:17PM}: Call me when you can.**

Hitting the call button, Emma listened to the phone ring and smiled at the sound of Belle's voice. "This is Belle speaking."

Emma chuckled at the girl's properness. "Belle, it's me."

She could practically hear Belle's smile through the phone, "Hello. I called so you could tell me what was wrong today."

Emma groaned. She knew this was going to happen sometime. "Belle, I can't. Plus, it's something I need to do in person if I'm gonna tell you."

The only thing Emma heard was Belle's laugh. _Did I say something funny? _"It's a good thing I'm at your house then, isn't it?"

Emma's face contorted in discomfort. It's not like she wasn't planning on telling Belle, because she was…but she didn't know if she was ready. Plus she was afraid that Belle would tell her what she didn't want to hear. Emma quickly jogged down the stairs and opened the door, finding a smiling Belle. Letting the girl in, she could barely close the door before Mary Margaret shrieked.

"Emma! Who's this?" The brunette was barely unable to contain her excitement. It wasn't everyday Emma brought a friend home for her to meet.

"MM this is Belle. Belle this is Mary Margaret, my mom." _Mom? Where did that come from? _She couldn't tell if Mary Margaret noticed her slip because the woman was so happy that she literally didn't think she could smile any harder.

"It's lovely to meet you Belle!" Mary Margaret threw her arms around Emma's friend, causing the young girl to let out a yelp then relax into the hug. With a glare from Emma, Mary Margaret decided she'd make herself scarce. "Alright well, I'm going to go finish making dinner. Belle, are you staying for dinner?" Mary Margaret gave Belle a face that told her if she said no, MM would find a way to make her say yes.

"I'd love to, thank you for having me Miss Blanchard."

"You can call me Mary Margaret, MM, or just Mary. Anything but _that._" Mary Margaret chuckled. "I'll be in the kitchen girls making dinner, shout if you need anything!"

Emma led Belle up to her room and closed the door for privacy. She turned to see Belle looking at her expectantly, which made things even more real for her. "Imayormaynotbeinlovewithmsmills."

Belle looked at Emma and raised an eyebrow. "Much slower please."

Emma took in a breath and looked Belle in the eye. "I may or may not be in love with Ms. Mills."

Belle didn't blink. "Tell me something I don't know dear."

Emma blinked twice, wondering how Belle could've known. "What…How—"

"It's not hard to figure out. I mean, you have English 6th period, and you always come from there smiling. When everyone was roasting Ms. Mills, you didn't join in or even laugh. It's quite obvious when you think about it."

Emma's mind was racing. _What if Regina knew?_ "There's more."

"Go on."

"I've kind of been her "secret admirer," Emma air-quoted.

Belle's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean her "secret admirer"?

"I've been giving her notes over the last few weeks. They're not sexual, but I remind her that she's beautiful and that she is a good person…stuff like that."

Belle smiled at her friend. She never knew Emma was so bold. "Emma, what's the problem? I mean, besides the fact that you could get yourself suspended from school."

"The problem is that she liked them and had been smiling, but I fucked up and left one during class and she found out that it's one of her classmates. She probably thinks that I've been playing a joke on her. Belle, I made her cry!" By then, even Emma was crying. Belle made her way over to Emma and wrapped her arms around the blonde, hoping to comfort her. Belle did know of Emma's crush on Ms. Mills, but she didn't know that it wasn't well….a crush. "She wrote a note for the student and left it on her desk saying it was inappropriate and that she'd punish me and well…I wrote her back."

"Emma…what did you say?"

Earlier:

_Regina Mills stepped into her classroom ninth period. Ninth period was her favorite period of the day. Not because it was a period before she got to go home, but because she was able to teach Creative Writing. Surely, she read a hefty amount of work from her AP and Honors students, but there was something special about reading the creative writing of teenagers. _

_Her bliss had however been robbed at the sight of a yellow post-it laying on her desk. Didn't they get the fucking message, she thought. She could feel the tears building up as she grew more and more humiliated. _

_Reaching down, she picked up the small sheet of paper and read it. _

_**No. **_

_No? They had told her no? And for what? When she thought about it, she knew this couldn't be a joke and that scared her. She knew that whoever had been sending her these things had really cared about her, or else they wouldn't have sent her quotes from her favorite people every day or apple related things. They took time out of their life to think of her, and that meant so much to Regina. _

_But then, there was a part about this all that scared her. Who was this person? Why her? Realizing that the class was staring at her expectantly, she cleared her throat and began teaching. _

"Emma I can't believe you did that! You've got balls!"

Emma blushed profusely. "I know! Now tell me what to do Belle!" Emma pouted. To say this was the first time she'd loved someone that didn't love her back would be a lie.

"Okay, here's what we do. You should be two people at the same time." At the look of confusion on Emma's face, Belle elaborated. "Keep writing her sweet notes, but don't share any personal information about yourself. In person, get to know her, but don't let her know that you know anything about what you've said in the notes. Don't talk to her about things the person writing her knows, and you'll be fine. Get closer to her, and when the time is right you'll tell her it's you."

Emma smiled at the idea. For someone so quiet, Belle sure was clever when it came to people. "Thank you so much Belle!"

For the first time that day, Emma had hope, hope that her life was going to change for the better.


	6. Chapter 6

I love all the positive reactions to this story! I swear I haven't gotten any negative ones! Thank you all for them, and once again leave reviews if you have any suggestions or something you would like to see. I write for you all. Also- I need a beta reader! If you are interested and would be willing, PM me! Enjoy x

Chapter 6

It was afterschool on a Wednesday, and Emma was lurking the halls. She had just had afterschool physics lab and was quite bored. Mary Margaret said she would be there to pick her up at 3:30, and it was only 3:06. _What to do._ She let her heart guide her to her favorite classroom in the entire school and wasn't surprised when she ended up outside Ms. Mills' room.

When she peeked inside, she saw that no one was there. Quickly looking inside her bag for a post-it, she wrote down the quote she had memorized the day prior.

_**Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or kick-ass red lipstick." **_

Smiling to herself, she left the note on Ms. Mills' desk. What she wasn't prepared for was the sound of high heels against the marble floors. Quickly hiding in the teacher's supply closet, she watched through the crack of the door as Ms. Mills sat at her desk and got ready to grade some papers. After watching the other woman grade a few papers, she watched in angst as she watched her teacher pick up the note.

Ms. Mills inspected the note and then read it. Emma watched in admiration as the older woman's lips curled into a wide smile. She watched as the woman took out a post-it note of her own and scribbled something on it and set it on her desk. The woman then abruptly got up from her desk and left the room. Emma guessed she went to make copies considering she left with some papers in her hand.

When she deemed it safe to come out, she quickly exited the closet and grabbed the post-it note. Sticking her head out of the doorway, she made sure the coast was clear before she left the room and made her way down the nearest staircase.

Once Emma got outside, she saw Mary Margaret was already waiting for her. Hopping inside the SUV, she smiled brightly at the sight of her foster mom. "Hey Mary Margaret! How was your day?"

MM smiled at the younger girl and began to recount everything about her day that was worth sharing. Emma listened attentively and laughed when Mary Margaret said something funny or got overly excited about something most wouldn't think twice about. When she was asked about her day she was honest, surprising herself, "It was kind of boring honestly. It wasn't until I saw you that my day seemed like it had a chance at getting better."

Mary Margaret beamed and rubbed Emma's thigh affectionately. "I'm glad I do that for you Emma. I was beginning to think I was weird, but I find myself missing you from time to time each day. I feel like a mom who's just sent her child to kindergarten, if that makes any sense." Mary Margaret chuckled, and as Emma looked into the woman's eyes she saw guilt. _Why would Mary Margaret feel guilty?_

Brushing it off, she grabbed the brunette's bag from the trunk, eliciting a thank you from the older woman. Once they entered their home, Emma decided she was going to do something nice for Mary Margaret. "Hey MM, have a seat. I'm going to cook _you _dinner tonight." Emma honestly had no idea what she could possibly make, considering the fact that she hadn't ever eaten a home cooked meal before she met Mary Margaret. Then suddenly, an idea struck her.

Emma looked over at MM and it wasn't until then that Emma noticed how tired and worn down the woman looked. _What happened? _

Mary Margaret sat at the island in the kitchen and played with the green-stoned ring that was on her ring finger. Taking a sip of her water, she sighed, unaware of the eyes that continued to bore into her skin. For the sake of being honest, she had been worried about Emma. The young girl had been having nightmares for the past week and didn't seem to remember having them. MM would come into the girl's room to hold her and rub her back until Emma felt calm enough to return to sleep.

It hurt Mary Margaret's heart that she had to wait an entire sixteen years before she was able to find someone who truly loved her. Mary Margaret had never loving someone so fiercely, more than the love she had for herself. She wanted to protect Emma with everything she had, and it hurt that she wasn't able to protect her daughter from the nightmares.

Emma pulled her from her reveries when she placed her hand on the older woman's shoulder. She gave the woman a look of concern, silently asking her if she was alright. When Mary Margaret nodded, Emma grabbed her hand and led her to the dining room table where the woman could sit as she put the finishing touches on their dinner.

Mary Margaret honestly didn't know what to expect. Emma had never showed any interest in cooking before, so she was prepared to have to cook them an additional dinner in case this one didn't work out. She was however surprised when the taste of chicken alfredo met her lips. There was something different about this one, as it tasted richer in flavor than anything she had ever tasted. She moaned as juicy chicken met her tongue. "Emma, this is delicious! Where did you learn how to cook like this?"

It was then that the younger girl burst into a fit of laughter, unable to control herself. "G-g-haha-google!" Emma hands went onto her stomach, trying to stop the pain that came with laughing uncontrollably.

Mary laughed along, amused simply by Emma's inability to stop laughing. They laughed until Emma coughed and the laughing died down.

The two ate in silence, enjoying the clanking and scraping of forks against their plates. When it came time to clean up, Emma sent Mary Margaret to take a shower, giving the woman no room to complain. When Emma finished cleaning up the kitchen, she herself got into the shower.

While naked, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to what Ms. Mills was wearing that day. She swore the woman couldn't get any sexier. The brunette had been dressed in a tight red dressed that hugged her curves. The dress wasn't low cut, but the swell of Ms. Mills' breasts was definitely visible. The dress wasn't that short either, but Emma got a clear enough view of long, tanned, and toned legs. If the woman's choice of dress wasn't enough to set Emma on fire, the brunette paired the dress with a pair of black stilettos that accentuated her toned legs even more.

Emma couldn't help but think about what she'd love to do to her teacher. Her hand drifted down to her core, and she sighed in bliss as her hand relieved some of the pressure building up in her core. She continued until she felt the all too familiar pull in her core and came, screaming Ms. Mills' name.

Quickly washing herself off, she turned the shower water off and panicked. She didn't hear the sound of Mary Margaret's shower water running and that scared her, considering that that meant MM must've heard her screaming her English teacher's name.

When Emma made her way downstairs, she saw Mary Margaret sitting on the couch with a brush in her lap, waiting for Emma. This was their nightly routine. Mary Margaret would brush Emma's hair and put it into a braid for her. Sometimes it was a French braid, but sometimes it could be a different style, and Emma enjoyed the surprise both at the kind of braid and the waves or curls she would wake up to the next morning. It made Emma sad that she couldn't do the same with the pixie-haired woman, but Mary Margaret told Emma she would grow her hair out just for her, which made Emma smile.

Emma entered the living room cautiously, eyeing Mary Margaret to see if she heard her in the shower. It wasn't a huge deal, because she was sure a lot of teenagers touched themselves, but it wasn't everyday they screamed their _female _teacher's name in the shower. "Hey MM."

Emma was greeted with a soft smile, not seeing any signs of disappointment or malice in the older woman's eyes. "Hey, Emma." MM motioned for Emma to come take a seat on the floor in front of her so she could get started on her hair.

Emma sighed in relief when she felt the woman's fingers comb through her hair and begin to brush. She had grown to love the feeling of the woman's hands in her hair and loved having such a mother-daughter moment between the two each night. Emma would never admit this to Mary Margaret, but it made her nights worth-while and the nights when they didn't get the opportunity to bond this way would often leave Emma cranky. She was pulled from her thoughts when Mary Margaret asked her a slightly random question.

"Are you gay, Emma?" The question wasn't stated in such a way that made Emma feel afraid to answer, or in a way that forced Emma to feel ashamed of her answer. It was just a question, and for that Emma was grateful.

"Yes." Emma answered without hesitation. Honestly, she didn't know why she hadn't told Mary Margaret before. She had never felt safer than she did with the woman, and she wasn't afraid of rejection or that Mary Margaret would hurt her intentionally.

"I heard you." Once again, the statement wasn't said angrily or in a way that would embarrass Emma. Emma couldn't help the blush that crept upon her features, or the feeling in the pit of her stomach that made her want to run away from this situation that was only growing in awkwardness. "You don't have to blush or be embarrassed Emma, its okay." Before Emma could question the older woman on how she knew she was blushing, she responded with a quick "I know you" before getting back to their conversation. "I love you Emma, and I want you to know that if there's anything you want to tell me, you can tell me. I don't want you to think for one minute that you can't come to me about something, no matter how embarrassing or taboo you think it is."

By now, Emma's eyes began to fill with tears. Using her motherly superpowers, Mary Margaret reached around with her free hand and wiped a stray tear from the girl's face. Gently tugging on the blonde's shoulders so she could turn around and meet her eyes. When she saw she had the blonde's undivided attention, she pulled her into a hug in which both she and Emma melted into. "Emma, I accept you. I want you to know that I support you no matter what and that this home is going to be nothing like your other ones. I will never harm you or hurt you and I'm going to continue to love you unconditionally, do you hear me?"

When Emma nodded, Mary Margaret once again pulled the girl in so she could hold her for a few more seconds. When they parted, they both stood up and MM patted Emma on the butt. "Now, go finish your homework so we can have our movie night."

That was another tradition. At 8 every Wednesday, they would watch a movie. Emma always thought they had it because she tended to fall asleep during it and Mary Margaret relished in the moments when Emma would fall asleep on her. Eventually, it got to the point where Emma would just agree to come sleep in bed with MM, and they would cuddle.

Once Emma finished her homework, she went into the living room and picked a movie for them to watch. _Where the Heart Is. _Mary Margaret shook her head and laughed. Emma picked that movie every week. "Emma, remind me why I keep giving you the freedom to _pick _a movie when you choose the same one every week?" Mary Margaret feigned anger, but she was honestly amused. The blonde picked it every time thinking she was going to finally finish it, but she fell asleep at the same time each night.

Emma put in the movie and sat next to Mary Margaret as they watched in silence.

One bowl of popcorn later, Emma was sound asleep on Mary Margaret's lap. Having dosed off herself, Mary Margaret woke up to the same exact spot she did each week, the tornado. Turning off the television, she gathered Emma in her arms, careful not to wake her. Putting Emma on the right side of her bed, she slid in on the left. Her heart warmed when the blonde immediately snuggled into her side. You think she'd be used to being a mom, but her heart leapt every single day, in awe of Emma and the little family they had formed over time.

The next morning, Emma woke up to an empty bed with no Mary Margaret. Glancing at the clock, she winced at the time. _6:45. Why hadn't Mary Margaret woke her up? _The answer to her question then sat in her lap, a smiley faced breakfast adorned her plate. Mary Margaret had made Emma a pancake, using eggs as the eyes, butter for the nose, and bacon for the mouth. _Could this woman get any better? _

Thinking back to the talk they had, Emma honestly didn't think MM could get any better. Tears filled her eyes when she thought of the life she had now. When she was younger, she never would've guessed that she would have a mom who would do absolutely anything for her, including making her a smiley faced breakfast. Emma ate quickly and went up to her room to get dressed. _What should I wear today? _

It was October 20th, two days before Emma's birthday. Weather in Storybrooke hadn't gotten cold and unbearable yet, but there was still the prevalent nip when you went outside. Emma decided on switching up her outfit a bit. Emma decided on wearing a red knit dress that ended a few inches above her knees. Since it was a bit chilly, she pulled on some black tights to wear underneath and slipped on her black leather boots. Now, all she had to do was find a coat. She had her leather jackets, but she knew a trench coat would go best with her outfit. Normally she wouldn't care, but since it was cold in the school she usually wore her coat and she wanted to look fashionable today.

Going down the stairs she quickly spotted Mary Margaret pouring herself some coffee. Quickly walking over to the woman to kiss her on the cheek, she gave her a hug, surprising both her and her mother. "Good morning MM, thank you so much for the breakfast. I was wondering, can I borrow one of your trench coats and one of your Louis Vuitton bags?"

Mary Margaret fought back a laugh as she glared at Emma. "So that's why you gave me a hug and kiss, you have ulterior motives."

Emma smiled her best, widest smile to Mary Margaret. Venturing to her closet, she had to bite back a howl of laughter when she observed how many trench coats the woman owned. It would be one thing is she owned four or five or each solid color, but she owned much more than that, every pattern Emma could think of. There were so many to choose from. _White, black, tan, red, plaid, paisley, striped, etc. _

It wasn't until Emma's eyes settled on a red, white, and black plaid trench coat that she fell in love. It went perfectly with her outfit and matched the bag Emma wanted to borrow from Mary Margaret. She quickly slipped the coat on and shoved her things into the bag when she saw Mary Margaret patiently waiting for her by the door, holding out a brown paper bag that was Emma's lunch.

"Emma, you look lovely! Are you dressing up for someone? Perhaps a certain _English t_eacher?" Mary Margaret loved teasing Emma.

Emma blushed and shook her head, brushing off MM's question. _What if I were? _ Walking out the door, she didn't speak to her mother in fear that she was going to ask her another question about why she was so dressed up.

During the car ride, Mary Margaret's lay in the middle, interlocked with Emma's as she drove the blonde to school. Once they reached their destination, Emma couldn't help but feel a little tug at heartstrings when she realized she had to untangle their hands and leave Mary Margaret. She knew the older woman felt the same way that she did when she saw the look in her eyes.

MM reached across the middle of the car and gave Emma a kiss on the cheek. "Have a wonderful day love!"

"You too Mary Margaret, good luck with your best friend Mr. Glass!" Emma laughed at the glare Mary Margaret sent her way. Waving at the woman before she pulled off, she made her way into the school building. It was a Thursday, which meant that she didn't have gym, she actually had first period free.

_What to do? _None of her friends had this period free, whether they were in lab or a study hall that they couldn't get out of. She found herself wandering the English hall, a certain room pulling her towards it with each and every step.

Realizing the woman didn't have a class first period, she knocked on the door that was currently ajar.

Regina Mills had been reading the blonde's most recent paper and she believed it to be a coincidence that that very blonde was standing in _her _doorway. Regina took a moment to look the blonde up and down, her body responding to the sight before her. She took a few seconds to enjoy the sight of long legs encased in black tights and savor how adorable yet sophisticated the blonde looked in her matching outfit. She was pulled away from her ogling as the blonde interrupted her.

"Ms. Mills, are you alright?" Emma asked, smiling, which told Regina that she had been caught.

Smiling tightly, Regina played it off, "Of course, dear. I was simply admiring your bag, I never took you for the name brand type."

"I'm not, it's my mom's."

Nodding slightly, Regina watched Emma as she walked further into the room. "Do you mind if I hang out here? My friends don't have first period free on Thursdays, and these days I hate being alone."

Regina shook her head, not wanting to upset the blonde. "As long as you're not a distraction, I don't see the problem."

Emma nodded and brought her things over to her usual seat. She took out some physics homework she hadn't finished and began working on that. Five minutes in, and Regina could practically feel the stress radiating off of Emma. Walking over to the blonde, she placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping to soothe the stressed girl.

"Miss Swan, are you alright?"

Emma looked up to the brunette, shocked from the woman's conspicuous concern. "Yes, why do you ask?"

Regina's sculpted eyebrow raised itself. "Well, you just seem to be very stressed."

Emma laughed. _Stressed doesn't even begin to cover it. _"I'm sorry I didn't mean to disturb you. I'm doing AP Physics homework. I'm not terrible at it, but the homework does always seem to stress me out."

Regina took one look at the blonde's work and nodded her head, agreeing with her. She could see how this may stress someone out. One the page lay various scribbles of numbers, crosses over wrong answers, and vicious circles drawn over the answers Emma had reached. "Miss Swan, you seem to be a very capable young woman, if there's anyone that can get through this course with an A, it's you."

Emma didn't know whether or not the woman was referring to Physics or this class itself, but it didn't matter. She soaked in the woman's compliment, and her eyes wandered down to her teacher's cleavage, which was clearly visible now that the woman was leaning over her. "Thank you, Ms. Mills." Emma got up, walking away from the desk to get some air. If she had stayed any longer, she would've outright kissed the woman, and she didn't want that. She wanted to continue their little note charade for a while and when she was sure Ms. Mills was falling for the person behind the notes, then she would reveal herself.

"You're welcome, dear." Having noticed the sexual tension between the two herself, Regina got up from her slouched position and retook her position at her desk, paying the blonde as little attention as possible. Once Emma completed both her Health and Physics homework, she exited the room quietly, not even eliciting a goodbye from her teacher.

The rest of the day went well, but then Emma got a text from Belle, changing their plan. Emma had decided to name it Operation Swanqueen, but Belle wouldn't go along with it. Checking her phone, Emma opened the message:

**Belle{11:03AM}: Emma, change in plans. I just realized that since Ms. Mills knows that it's one of her students sending these notes, she isn't going to act inappropriately towards you. So, what you're going to do is let her get to know you, the real Emma. Continue to send her notes, but keep them as vague as possible. **

Deciding that the message was a good enough idea, she went along with the plan. When Ms. Mills asked them to write about a time that scared them, she didn't hold back at all. Writing the event on paper, she handed it in when asked to and took out some lined paper to take notes on the lesson Ms. Mills was giving.

When the bell rang, she went down to lunch, excited to see her friends.

"Hey Emma!"

Waving hello to everyone, she didn't hesitate to steal some of Graham's fries since he was who she had chosen to sit next to for the day. "Emma, just because I'm hot doesn't mean you get to steal food from me." Graham winked at her, causing Emma to burst into a fit of giggles. She didn't think he was being serious until he continued.

"Hey Emma, I've been meaning to ask…would you like to go to the homecoming dance with me?"

Everyone at the table looked at Emma expectantly, waiting for her answer. Belle looked at her, and to anyone else they'd think that Belle looked stoic. To Emma though, she could tell that Belle was expecting her to say yes. _Why? _Emma didn't know, but she trusted Belle and figured her best friend had her best interest at heart. "..Sure."

The table cheered in response and Graham wore a proud expression on his face for the rest of lunch. Emma's guilt increased with each growing minute. Not only did she feel bad for saying yes, she felt bad for saying yes because her best friend wanted her to. She was originally going to make up an excuse. She felt Belle tug her in the directions and couldn't help but acquiesce, wanting to find out why it was Belle had been so keen on her saying yes.

Belle pulled them both into an empty stall where she could explain why she wanted Emma to say yes. "I know you may be mad or confused, but I had a good reason for you saying yes, I promise."

Emma crossed her arms around her chest, waiting for Belle to explain to her. "I know that we are all "Operation Swanqueen", but I need you to go with Graham to the dance. I happen to know that a certain brunette is going to be chaperoning the dance and this is the perfect opportunity to test the waters!"

Emma's face lit up at the thought. Slapping her friend on the arm harder than necessary, she beamed. "Belle! You're a fucking genius!" Frowning at the lying aspect though, she needed advice on what to tell Graham. "What should I say to Graham though?"

"Are you comfortable with him knowing you're gay?"

Shrugging her shoulders, she thought about the pros and cons. He was a good friend to her and it certainly wouldn't kill her if he knew that she preferred that she liked girls. Honestly, it neither here nor there if people knew about her sexuality, she was just afraid Mary Margaret wouldn't take it well. She had been kicked out of too many foster homes as a result of her controversial sexuality. "I guess I can tell him."

Belle clapped her hands together. "Great! Now, the dance is tomorrow and I'm taking you shopping today afterschool to get a dress so you'd better text Mary Margaret and tell her that you're going to be home later."

Emma nodded and already began to text her foster mother that she would be home later. When the two exited the bathroom, they were greeted with an angry Katherine and Ruby, looking for an explanation. After Emma explained everything to them, they couldn't help but be excited for their friend. They knew the probability of Emma being with Ms. Mills was low, but Ms. Mills honestly wouldn't have written back if the blonde hadn't touched her in some way, shape or form.

Emma endured the rest of her classes, and almost fell asleep during physics. Mr. Nolan was always looking at her, and she was super creeped out by it. It wasn't as if he seemed like a pervert, but he always looked at her as if she was his daughter, and that scared her because she barely knew the man.

When the bell rang, she walked out to Belle's car to meet her. Belle was all ready to go and eager at the thought of helping Emma shop. She didn't like to admit it, but she was the most fashionable of the group. Belle could make anything out of nothing, which was why she was costume manager of the school's productions.

"Ready to go?" When Emma nodded, Belle sped off and drove them to Storybrooke Mall. The mall wasn't huge, but it had just the right stores.

The two got out of the car and Belle led them to a store called Forever 21. Emma had never heard of the store before, because Mary Margaret always bought her clothes. Emma honesty loathed shopping, but came because 1) Belle made her and 2) She wanted to choose a dress that would leave Ms. Mills' jaw on the ground. Granted, she didn't know if the woman was a lesbian or not but from the attention she got today in class, she had pretty good idea of what team Ms. Mills played for.

Belle came rushing up to her with a black sequined dress, to which Emma shook her head.

After what seemed like a million dresses, Belle approached Emma with a plain bodycon pink dress. Emma seemed to like the color so she went into the dressing room to try it on. When she put the dress on, she walked out of the dressing room so Belle could look at it as well.

At the sight of Emma in the dress, Belle let out a whistle and laughed to herself. "You are getting that one, no buts!"

Emma took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. Smiling to herself, she got mega excited for the dance. She was going to w_oo_ Ms. Mills.


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry I haven't updated in a bit, school keeps me busy! Anyway, enjoy this chapter x

Chapter 7

"Emma for the last time sit still!" Mary Margaret had already burned Emma once with the flat iron, and she didn't want to do it again. It was an hour before Emma's dance and Emma had asked Mary Margaret to straighten her hair for her. Mary Margaret had obliged, because she had no idea how fidgety Emma really was when made to sit in a chair for an extended period of time.

Emma huffed as she watched Mary Margaret continue to straighten her hair. Ever since Emma was a little girl, she had never been able to sit in one spot for a long time. "Are you almost done?" Had she not been so frustrated, she would've laughed at the way MM's jaw set. When the woman didn't respond, she figured she'd asked the question not even five minutes ago so she shut up.

When MM was _finally f_inished with her hair, she surveyed it in the mirror. Her hair flowed all the way down to her ribcage, due to the fact that she'd only cut her hair once. Kicking MM out of the room, she pulled out her dress.

When she pulled it on, the dress fit her just as perfectly as it had in the dressing room. It was sleeveless, and came down to a few inches above her knees. The pink fabric hugged her curves. Not too much cleavage was revealed, but enough was so that it left little to imagination. She paired the dress with a pair of black pumps which showed off her leg muscles and overall sexiness.

When she walked down the stairs, she saw that Graham was there waiting for her, and judging by the look of astonishment and adoration on Mary Margaret's face, it was safe to say she had a good ten minutes until they were due to get out of this place. "Emma, you look so beautiful," Mary Margaret beamed.

Emma smiled at the excitement in her foster mother's voice. "Let me get my camera!" At the sound of that, Emma's smile quickly faded and was replaced with a scowl, directed at her foster mother. Mary Margaret either didn't see her or ignored it because she ran into her room and came out with two different cameras _and _her phone.

"Mary Margaret is this really—" _Flash! _Pale hands reached up to cover her eyes as Emma blinked rapidly from the bright light. "…necessary."

When the woman nodded and shoved her and Graham together, she whispered in his ear. "If you act like you want to take pictures and cooperate, things will get done a lot faster, promise." When he nodded, they stood next to each other and posed a couple of times while Mary Margaret took pictures on _all _three devices. Once she decided she'd taken enough pictures of the two, she started to tear up.

Graham looked at Emma questioningly and took her suggestion when she asked him to wait in the car. Whatever was going on between the two was clearly personal and he thought Emma should be able to talk to her mom without her date in their company.

Emma watched Graham's retreating form and looked to a crying Mary Margaret. Emma loved MM to death, but this woman could be so emotional when Emma just simply wasn't. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Mary Margaret sniffled and accepted the warm hug Emma offered her. Still in her embrace, she told the girl of her worries. "You're just…growing up so fast. I wish I had found you earlier. Soon you're going to be eighteen and leaving me for the world and I just miss you already."

Emma's heart warmed. None of her previous foster parents had ever expressed that level of concern for her, not even the family that adopted her when she was six. Pulling out of the hug and holding the woman's hands in her own, she looked her square in the eye. "MM, I'm sorry you feel that way, but you're my foster mom. You're the first foster mom I've had that doesn't suck and I promise we'll talk all the time when I'm gone. I mean, who will I tell my dirty secrets to?"

MM chuckled, and wiped the tears from her eyes. Deciding she was feeling better, gave Emma one last hug. "Now missy, you have a dance to get to! Don't do anything I wouldn't do and stay safe!"

"Okay _mom_." Emma stuck her tongue out at MM and took note of how bright the woman looked at the name Emma had called her, even playfully. She made note to call her that more often, and waved again before heading out the door. She saw Graham outside her house, waiting for her in his car.

He got up and opened the door for her, smiling at her. "Thanks!"

After getting situated, they rode to the school in mostly silence. Emma could feel the guilt which came in pangs. She decided now was the best time to tell Graham about her situation before things got out of hand. "I like girls, Graham."

Graham didn't blink twice before responding, "I know."

She did a double take before furrowing her eyebrows. _"How?"_

He chuckled before giving her a pointed look. "You are everything but subtle when it comes to Ms. Mills."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" She really was wondering that very question. Everyone knew about her crush on Ms. Mills and that made her even more nervous, because if they noticed then she was sure Ms. Mills herself noticed her…infatuation.

"Emma, you blush when she's mentioned and you come from her class smiling as if the world is full of blue skies and sunshine. I know I'm just your tool to make her jealous, and I couldn't be happier to be one." Graham winked at her and they both shared a laugh.

"Thank you Graham, you're the best!"

When they got to the school, Graham once again opened the door for Emma so she could step out. They could already hear the music from the gym which made Emma even more excited. She hadn't went clubbing with Ruby or Katherine, but she knew that no dance would be lame with them there.

She was going to just walk in, but she felt Graham's hand tugging at hers. Allowing him to hold her hand, they walked into the gym together. Emma quickly surveyed the room, searching for the woman her heart held dear. It didn't take long though, because her eyes soon found Ms. Mills and boy were they happy to.

Regina Mills wasn't dressed fancily for this dance, at least not to her. Her mother had had galas and charity events that Regina had to go to and this dance wasn't even close to the formality of those events. Regina had chosen a black dress, ¾ sleeve dress that clung to her every curve. It wasn't short, coming down to just above her knees, but the dress certainly did her justice in the ass department. She didn't know what she was thinking when she volunteered to chaperon this dance because high schoolers after the elderly were the next most boring group of people to supervise.

She scanned the room once again, looking for teenagers she could break up; something to occupy herself. She found none other than Emma Swan holding hands with Graham, one of her former students. _They're dating?_ She found it hard to believe that Emma would subject herself to such a polygamous person to date. Even as a teacher that everyone feared, she was well aware of the type of reputation Graham had. If he wasn't breaking hearts he was breaking his record of sexual conquests in a month.

_Why did she care? _She had been asking herself this for a while now. She had yet to distinguish what it was about Emma Swan that made her so different from the rest of students she had encountered. Pushing the thought out of her mind, she went to the snack table to serve herself some punch. She figured if she was going to be there for the next two hours she might as well have a drink.

Emma couldn't stop staring at Ms. Mills, and she was staring so hard that Ruby was able to close her mouth for her. "Close your mouth, you'll let the flies in." Jumping slightly, Emma realized who the playful voice belonged to and slapped Ruby on the shoulder.

"Not funny Rubes!"

Ruby smiled wickedly at the blonde and looked at Katherine, waiting for her to jump in. Katherine held up her hands, surrendering. "I'm sorry Ruby but I'd rather not be on Emma's bad side tonight. She doesn't play around when it comes to her women!" Everyone including Emma laughed at that and focused their gaze on Ms. Mills.

"Emma I gotta admit, I'm straight as a fucking pencil but I'd fuck her any day." Everyone in the group turned their heads to glare at Ruby. The girl had a bad habit of sharing way too much. That was one of the reasons Emma liked Ruby actually. Ruby had to be the most easygoing, fun person Emma had met in a long time.

Graham approached Emma, the playful, mischivious glint in his eyes clear to all. Holding out his hand to Emma, he bowed, "May I have this dance, my lady?"

Ignoring her giggling friends, Emma nodded and followed him out to the dance floor. They danced to a Lady Gaga song and Emma couldn't stop the blushes and laughter from escaping her mouth at their awful attempts at dancing. Emma had never been to a school dance before and the only dance experience she'd had was when she danced in front of the mirror or her dance parties with Mary Margaret. Deciding she wanted to make Ms. Mills jealous, she turned around so her back was pressed against Graham's front.

Instinctively, Graham's hands went out to grab Emma's hips, pulling her body into his. Emma was honestly receiving no pleasure from this, but she was excited to see Ms. Mills' reaction. Grinding her hips into Graham's to the beat of the song, she looked up to see exactly who's gaze she'd been wishing to catch.

Ms. Mills' eyes bored into Emma's, never leaving them. She looked Emma and her _boy toy _up and down, distaste all over her face. For some reason, she saw red. Determined to break up this little "love fest", she marched across the gym to a grinding Emma Swan, seeing that the blonde had now turned away from her.

Tapping her on the shoulder, she waited expectantly for Emma to turn around. Her hand reached out and grabbed Graham's shoulder, gently but assertively pushing him away from the blonde, effectively separating the two. Emma looked into Regina's eyes and saw anger, but there was something else, she didn't know what.

"Miss Swan, what do you think you're doing?"

Emma considered her response before feigning ignorance. "Dancing?"

The glare Ms. Mills gave her was hard enough to make a grown man cry. "No, dear. What you were doing was displaying public displays of affection, which might I add was inappropriate. While you may have been having fun Miss Swan, it was disrespectful and therefore unthoughtful of you not to consider your surroundings. I certainly am disgusted by your behavior and will never be able to relieve myself of that burning image. I suggest you compose yourself and never display such lack of respect for yourself again." With one last glare, she turned on her heels and walked away.

Emma didn't know whether she wanted to laugh at how stupid she'd been or cry. To say she was embarrassed would be an understatement. Not only had she gone out of her way to impress Ms. Mills, but the woman also humiliated her in front of everyone. She looked around and all the eyes were on her. She felt the tears start to accumulate in her eyes. Wiping them away, she fought back a sob as she made her way through the crowd, ignoring the calls of her friends, including a remorseful Graham.

Grabbing her phone, she dialed Mary Margaret quickly, who was on speed dial. Her mood improved slightly when she heard her foster mother's voice through the phone. "Mom?" She fought back yet another sob as she waited for Mary Margaret to respond.

"Emma, is everything okay?" Concern was laced throughout the woman's voice.

"Can you come get me?"

"Of course, I'll be there in five minutes."

Hanging up the phone, she grabbed her coat from the coatroom and waited for her mother. She didn't know what to think, honestly. Was she really that naïve and silly to think she had a chance with Ms. Mills? _Damn. _Mary Margaret was going to question her about what happened, and Emma didn't want to tell her but maybe she should. She had to admit, whenever she had a problem MM was the first person she went to. But with this? It was almost too controversial and taboo to talk about. _Damn teachers. _

Smiling at the sight of a grey SUV, Emma more or less sprinted to the car, getting in.

When Mary Margaret saw her daughter's smudged makeup and her heart sank. The thought of her daughter hurting made her hurt and she didn't even know what was wrong. Giving Emma the car ride to collect her thoughts and calm down, she drove them home. When they got to the apartment, Emma remained silent, only muttering a thanks for the ride home. When she heard Emma's room door slam, she began to worry about Emma. _What happened at that dance?_

Going into the kitchen, she took out a pot and filled it with milk. Whilst heating the milk, she took some hot chocolate from her pantry and retrieved a mug from the cabinet. When stirring the drink, she added whipped cream and sprinkled a bit of cinnamon on top. She chuckled, remembering the day Emma discovered that they liked the same thing.

_Six Weeks Prior_

_Emma was taciturn. For the past week she had been at the foster home and she hadn't really said anything. It wasn't that she didn't like Mary Margaret, but she was more or less waiting for the other shoe to drop. Each time the woman reached out to touch her, she would flinch, waiting for the first strike. Each time she heard the woman coming up the stairs, she prepared herself for the worst. Each time around dinner, she prepared herself to be deprived of dinner for not being a good enough foster child, so she was silent._

_She didn't want to mess things up. Except today, she was in the apartment with the woman on a rainy day. She listened to the drops hitting the rooftop, letting the melodic sound sooth her soul. It felt so nice to feel at peace, she honestly couldn't remember a time where she'd felt so free of stress let alone happy. _

_Mary Margaret approached Emma, with two mugs in her hands. Sitting down next to the blonde, Emma accepted the mug from Mary Margaret. Giving the woman a questioning look, Mary Margaret supplied her with an answer. "Its hot chocolate, have you ever had it?"_

_Giving her the mug, Emma accepted it and without giving it much thought, she set it down. Mary Margaret put her hand on Emma's leg, cringing when she felt Emma flinch at her touch. "Do you not like hot chocolate?"_

_Emma nodded, and muttered "Cinnamon."_

_At first, the admission confused Mary Margaret but she quickly realized what the girl meant. "I put cinnamon on top of the whipped cream, did you not want it?"_

_Emma looked down at the hot chocolate and smiled a smile that blew Mary Margaret away. "How'd you know?"_

_Mary Margaret blinked and looked at her questioningly. "Know what?"_

"_That I liked cinnamon on my hot chocolate, silly!" _

_Mary Margaret was taken aback by Emma's playful tone. She had to say, she liked this side of Emma. "I didn't. I always have cinnamon with my hot chocolate and assumed you did as well."_

"_Well you were right MM." Laughing at the silly nickname she gave her foster mother, she took a sip of her hot chocolate, moaning at the taste of cinnamon. _

"_No one's ever called me MM before!"_

"_Well get used to it, MM." Emma playfully hit Mary Margaret on the arm. _

_Mary Margaret smiled, happy to have even the slightest impact on her new foster daughter. Baby steps._

Walking up the stairs to meet her foster daughter, she frowned as she heard the sobs from behind the door. Instead of barging in, she knocked softly on the door. Hearing a soft "come in", Mary Margaret's heart sunk as she took in the appearance of her daughter. Emma sat on her bed, her face void of any pre-existing makeup. Her face was honestly all red and it looked as if Emma's been crying for hours.

Mary Margaret sighed and sat on Emma's bed. "Emma honey, what happened?"

Suddenly the thought of telling someone or even recalling what happened made Emma tear up all over again. Accepting Mary Margaret's embrace, Emma sobbed into her shoulder. "I can't tell you…"

"Is it really that awful that you're afraid to tell me?"

"Mom, it's not like I'm in any danger…there was just some drama with Graham and I got upset." That wasn't a complete lie. Besides, if she told Mary Margaret about Ms. Mills she'd have to tell her why she was grinding against Graham and that'd lead her to tell her about the notes which she knew MM wouldn't approve of.

Mary Margaret simply nodded, hoping Emma would trust her enough to tell her eventually but also knowing that Emma would truly tell her if it was anything threatening.

"Mom?"

Mary Margaret fought back a smile. She knew this was a time when she was supposed to be serious, and she was, but she couldn't help how wonderful and mushy she felt inside when she heard Emma refer to her as that. "Yes Emma?"

"Can we cuddle tonight?" There was so much vulnerability in that one statement, but Emma knew Mary Margaret wouldn't deny her.

"Of course! My bed or your's?"

Already predicting Emma's answer, Mary Margaret started for the doorway. Emma quickly followed her and jumped into the woman's bed, waiting for her mom to join her. When she felt the protective arms of her mom wrap around her, she sighed in contentment. Sometimes it felt like it was her against the world, but right now it felt like Mary Margaret's love alone was the only protection that she needed.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys. I haven't really given you days where I'm mostly likely to update or not. I usually update twice a week and considering the fact that I haven't encountered writer's block yet, its safe to assume I'll update twice a week. However, during President's Week when I don't have school, I'll post an update almost every day. Enjoy this chapter x

Chapter 8

Regina Mills came home that night, complete exhausted. It wasn't even physical exhaustion, it was a mental exhaustion. In addition to that, she felt an unwavering sense of guilt from what happened that night with Miss Swan. She hadn't meant to be that harsh, but she couldn't stand the sight of Graham with his hands all over her. She deserved respect, and she needed to have respect for herself. She thought back to that night and how angry Miss Swan's friends had been with her.

_Regina sat in a chair next to the snack table, trying to contain her boredom. Every year she volunteered to chaperon at this dance and every year she found it more and more difficult to enjoy herself. She pulled out her phone to check her messages, but felt someone's presence and decided she'd better address it. Looking up, she saw all of Miss Swan's friends standing over her. _

_She chuckled to herself, amused at the fact that they had the audacity to appear angry with her. "May I help you children?" she spat, putting an emphasis on children._

_Ruby was the first to speak, her arms remaining crossed over her chest. "Yeah, you sure can. You can tell us why you were so harsh towards Emma."_

_Regina raised her eyebrow at the younger girl. "Miss Swan was defiling herself before my very own eyes. This is a public dance and neither I nor the rest of the student body should have to endure that sight. Mr. Humbert should've kept his lecherous gazes and his wandering hands to himself." She said calmly. _

_Deciding it was more trouble than it was worth, the group all walked away from the woman, leaving her to her phone. Turning it on, she sighed as she saw there were zero messages. She didn't know why she was surprised, it's not like she had many friends…her mother made sure of that._

Regina sighed to herself. She went through her nightly routine and got into bed. She would've read a book, but she knew that wouldn't take her mind off tonight. _Was I too harsh, _she thought. She didn't know what had gotten into her. Other groups of teens had been dancing in the same manner, if not worse than Miss Swan had been, so why did the sight make her so angry? Shaking her head in confusion, she got under the covers and turned her lamp off, hoping sleep would take her mind off of what happened.

Emma woke up to feeling her foster mom's arms wrapped around her. It was surprising because whenever they slept together she usually woke up to Mary Margaret cooking her breakfast. Deciding she was going to surprise the woman, she carefully got out of the bed, careful not to wake her mother.

Deciding to make eggs, bacon, and toast, Emma set to work. She couldn't say she'd ever made bacon, so ever looking up the instructions on her phone, she was able to cook it in record time. After putting the finishing touches on the food, she grabbed orange juice and milk from the fridge and poured herself a glass of orange juice and a glass of milk for Mary Margaret.

When she got to MM's bed, she saw the woman was still asleep. Emma took the time to analyze the woman's features. She didn't think she'd ever noticed how beautiful her mother really was. When looking at her, she noticed that her chin looked a lot like her own. The more she looked into the woman's face, the more she could see similarities. Deciding she was officially being weird, she gently shook her mother and woke her up. "Mom, time to get up! I made you breakfast!"

At hearing Emma's new name for her, she sprung out of bed, ready for whatever the day had to throw at her. Rolling her eyes at Emma's chuckling, she slipped on her slippers and allowed Emma to lead her into the kitchen so they could eat breakfast. "I made us breakfast, because you usually make us breakfast so I wanted to do something for you!" Leading MM to the table, she pulled the chair out so she could sit down, earning a chuckle from her mother.

"Thank you so much Emma! It looks delicious!" And it was too. Mary Margaret couldn't help the moans that came out of her mouth when she ate Emma's cooking. "Emma, where on earth did you learn to cook like this?"

Emma smiled, happy her mother liked her cooking. "Well, my adoptive parents taught me how to cook. I was three when they adopted me, but they were chefs and always let me help. They died when I was six though, and I got to keep their cook books. Every night before bed I would read a new recipe and memorize it, and practice whenever I got the chance."

Mary Margaret could tell from Emma's mood change that she was still saddened by her parent's death. "I'm sorry about what happened to them, kiddo. On the bright side, it looks like you followed in their footsteps. Do you want to be a chef?"

Emma shook her head. "No, cooking is something special to me, and I only want to share that with people I cherish the most." She blushed, embarrassed by what she just revealed.

Mary Margaret felt herself start to tear up. Everything Emma told her seemed to make her incredibly happy and she could never keep the tears at bay. "Thank you, Emma. I'm glad you feel that way about me because I feel that way about you too." Rubbing the girl's shoulder, she collected their dirty dishes and began to put them in the dishwasher.

As Emma watched Mary Margaret she began to really analyze how alike they were. It was _so _strange. Maybe her and Mary Margaret were really supposed to be a family. She felt like they were a family. Maybe someday MM would adopt her.

Deciding she wanted to text Belle, she pulled out her phone. Upon opening it, she saw _nine _text message notifications and five missed calls. She felt guilty at first, but then she felt warmth flood her body at having such caring friends.

**Emma{11:03AM}: Hey Belle.**

Emma decided to check her messages while waiting for Belle to respond.

**Ruby{9:36PM}: Emma! Are you okay? I heard about what happened!**

**Ruby{9:40PM}: Emma I'm worried. Where did you go?**

**Ruby{10:50PM}: Call me if you need 2 talk. **

**Ruby{7:23AM}: Goodmorning Em! Hope you're feeling better x**

Smiling at how thoughtful Ruby could be, she responded.

**Emma{11:06AM}: Hey Rubes, I'm okay. Thanks for asking xoxo**

Almost immediately, there was a reply.

**Ruby{11:07AM}: Good! Wanna come to Granny's for lunch today around 2? Katherine, Graham, and Belle will be there…you know you wanna.**

One thing Emma hated about Ruby was how persuasive the girl could be. She could persuade someone into being an accomplice of murder. Just one bat of the eyelashes and her famous pout and she could turn someone into putty.

**Emma{11:09AM}: Sure! See you then.**

Closing out of the text, she responded to Katherine and Graham's texts and assured them that she was going to come to Granny's and talk to them about what happened. Almost subsequently after, her phone rang, Belle was calling her.

Answering, she instinctively held the phone away from her head as she heard Belle scream, "EMMA! ARE YOU OKAY? WHAT HAPPENED? TELL ME EVERYTHING!"

Emma couldn't help but laugh at how excited Belle seemed to know everything. "I'm fine. I don't think our plan worked though."

Belle seemed to deflate at the sound of that. "How can you be sure?"

Emma sighed, clearly not ready to tell the story. Wiping a stray tear away, she continued, "At the dance, Graham and I were dancing. He had his hands on his hips and we were grinding pretty crazily. It was kind of nasty actually, but we were trying _really _hard to make her jealous. Anyway, she came over and yelled at me. She basically said I had no respect for myself and the people around me for showing them that. Basically calling me a whore and telling me she didn't want to see me in action again." She laughed bitterly at that, unable to believe that something so untrue had now become who she was.

Belle clapped her hands together and Emma could practically hear her smiling through the phone. "Emma, this is great!"

Emma's eyebrows furrowed. "Eh? Why is this great?"

Belle simply laughed. Emma was the smartest girl in school, but she had absolutely no common sense sometimes. "She's jealous! Think about it, she yelled at you for showing everyone—aka _her_ what you did last night. How did she treat Graham?"

Emma thought back to the previous night. "Not very good, she glared at him a lot."

Belle thought this was the icing on the cake. "She's jealous. Whether she knows she is or not, I don't know, but the sight of you with someone else made her angry. Believe me, I know I'm right."

Emma gave what Belle said some thought, and she had to admit, that would make sense. No other teacher would've gone off at her like that for dancing too intimately with someone unless they were jealous. Smiling to herself, she felt like a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. "Operation Swanqueen is back on!"

Belle laughed at her friend's silly name for their plan. If that made Emma happy, then who was she to argue? "Yes, it's back on. Before I forget—are you going to Granny's later?"

"Yeah, see you later?"

"Yes, see you later."

Hanging up the phone, Emma went downstairs to ask her mother for a ride to Granny's. "Mom?"

Mary Margaret looked at Emma with the brightest smile she'd ever seen. "Yes sweetheart?"

"Can you give me a ride to Granny's around 1:45? Ruby invited me."

Happy that Emma's problem from the night before had nothing to do with her friends, she agreed with alacrity. "Of course, Emma! I need to shower right now, and I'm sure you do too so…meet me at the door in thirty?"

Nodding at her mother, Emma went upstairs to get ready. Deciding she had a bit of spare time to do what she wanted, she reached under her bed and retrieved a brown box. Inside the box was a white blanket, with 'Emma' sewn on it with purple yarn. She held the blanket up to her face and smelled it. _This was weird. _Smelling it a second time, she realized that it smelled very much like Mary Margaret. It was even weirder because she never took the blanket out of the box for longer than a few minutes. Deciding it was a coincidence, she reached inside the box and re-read the note her birth mother had written her.

_**Emma-**_

_**I love you so much. Your father and I were only eighteen, and we gave you up to give you your best chance. I want so much for you, more than I know I can ever give you. If you don't get anything out of this note, know that you are loved and I miss you every day. **_

Emma had read this note millions of times, except this time she paid very close attention to the penmanship. Running down the stairs, she took comfort in the fact that her mother was still in the shower. Grabbing the grocery list from the fridge, she ran back up the stairs and slammed her room door.

Comparing the list to her birth mother's note, her heart sunk when she realized that the handwriting was identical. _What the hell? _


	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys! Shocker huh? Not really? Well, I hope you enjoyed last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one more! x

Chapter 9

Emma Swan didn't know what to think. _Mary Margaret is my birth mother?_ Thinking it didn't make sense, and seeing evidence didn't make sense either. How could she have been given up by her birth mother only to be returned to her? This was crazy. Deep inside, she felt a sense of relief that her connection with Mary Margaret could be explained and that she wasn't just looking for a mother. She felt loved and safe because she had found someone who wanted her and her family wasn't just foster care, Mary Margaret was her real mother.

On the other hand, a large part of her felt angry. _So _angry. She felt angry with her mother for giving her up in the first place, and she felt betrayed that Mary Margaret didn't have the decency to admit it to her in the time they were living together. She was also angry at herself for letting someone in who had ultimately hurt her. She didn't know what to think.

"Emma, sweetheart, are you coming?"

Emma scoffed at her mother's voice. It made being mad at her extremely hard. Mary Margaret was always so sweet, and whenever someone tried to be angry with her sooner than later they discovered that it was the hardest thing in the world. Determined to stand her ground, she marched down the stairs and out the door, not even chancing a glance at Mary Margaret. Getting into the car, she pretended to be doing something interesting on her phone so that her mother wouldn't talk to her. She could feel her eyes on her, and she could tell that her mother could sense the tension that filled the atmosphere, but refused to meet the woman's gaze and give her any sort of satisfaction.

When they reached Granny's, Emma hopped out of the car, not even giving Mary Margaret a goodbye-kiss or a word of when to pick her up.

Mary Margaret POV:

I watch my daughter get out of the car and walk into the restaurant, not even sparing me a glance. Ever since we parted ways to get ready for Granny's, she had been acting strange. At first, I thought it was still the tension of the night before because she was going to see her friends and I knew Emma wasn't the most open person in the world. Now, I think she's actually upset with me. _What have I done? _Thinking back to what I said before I showered, I let out a sigh when my search came up empty.

Putting the car in gear, I pull out into the road and drive myself home. I can feel the tears gathering in my eyes and the growing lump in my throat, but I resist the urge, convincing myself that I've done nothing wrong. When I enter the house, I let the silence and sudden emptiness invade my features. All I want to know is why Emma gave me the silent treatment. Over these past few months, Emma and I have become like best friends. There's nothing I keep from her, and there's nothing she keeps from me, except now she is and I don't know what it is.

Deciding the best thing for me to do would be to clean, I go to gather the laundry from my room. Once I do that, I head upstairs with the basket to grab Emma's as well. When I reach her room, I don't even pay attention to the thud of the laundry basket or the clothes that are now sprawled out on the floor.

General POV:

Mary Margaret was shocked to say the least. Here she was, sixteen years later, staring at the blanket that she had hand knit herself for her daughter before giving her up. Walking across the room, she picked up the blanket and brought it to her nose. _It still smells of me. _Crying to herself, she noticed a note under the blanket. Dread infiltrating her senses, she picked up the note and let out a gasp. There it was, the note that she had written to her daughter before giving her away.

Tear after tear fell down her face before she just couldn't cry anymore. She shrunk to the ground, afraid that if she stood for any longer her legs would betray her. _How did this happen? _She knew how it happened. She couldn't believe she had let herself be so obtuse. When the agency told her she would be caring for a girl named Emma, she admitted she thought about the daughter she gave up, but after being assured by Gold that her daughter was in across the country in Chicago, she didn't worry anymore. It wasn't that she didn't want Emma back, it was that she didn't want to have any false hope that maybe this girl was her daughter.

Soon, the shock and guilt within her turned into anger, anger toward Gold. Emma had shared with her that he was her AP Chemistry teacher, but everyone in the town knew that he owned the adoption agency and made sure things ran smoothly. _Why would he lie to me? _

Not even bothering to take her car, she walked two blocks and entered the adoption agency. Seeing the man at his desk made things even more real for her.

Gold looked up to see Mary Margaret and comically did a double take, showing his evident surprise at seeing her in his presence. He tried to cover up his actual surprise and decided to be his usual spooky self. "You look quite angry Miss Blanchard, may I offer you a chair and a bottle of water?"

She couldn't believe that he was trying to play the nice guy in all of this. His never dying smirk only reaffirmed that he knew exactly why she was there and only made her see even more red. "We both know why I'm here. How about we cut the formalities and you tell me why you lied to me?" All of her etiquette on manners went out the window when it came to this man.

"Miss Blanchard, please have a seat." Gold pleaded with her, but after seeing she wasn't going to back down, he prepared himself for a story. "If you knew that Miss Swan was your child, I was afraid you wouldn't agree to taking her in. When I asked you if you would take in a foster child, you seemed reluctant and I knew if I asked you if you wanted your own _daughter _back, you may not have said yes. At least, the average person who originally put their child up for adoption doesn't have the intention of seeing them again. I also knew that a certain Mr. Nolan was the father and you may not have wanted to tell him he was a father or speak to him at all."

When Gold finished his story, Mary Margaret narrowed her eyes at him to see if he was telling the truth. Ever since she was a little girl, she had always been able to tell when someone was lying. The only person that didn't always work on was Emma. "You're not done, Gold." She spat.

When the man heard the bark behind her voice, he held up his hand and surrendered. "I've told you everything I know, Miss Blanchard."

"Bullshit. You didn't tell me what's in it for you. Why would you go to far as to lie to me? We both know you have no real interest in anyone unless it benefits you. So tell me, what did you get for this lie of yours"

Gold sighed. Mary Margaret may have been a lot of things, but stupid she was not. "The adoption agency gets a certain amount of revenue per year and if it doesn't meet the town's minimum amount, they will shut down the agency and move it to a more densely populated town."

As Mary Margaret's head wrapped around his words a pale hand reached up and slapped Gold across the face, almost knocking him out of his chair. The thick tension in the air could be felt by the both of them and if Gold had ever came any closer to feeling remorse, it was now. "You couldn't be anymore wrong, Gold! I would've been and am thrilled to have Emma back! As for David, I have no problems speaking to him about _our_ daughter. If you _ever_ cross me again, you'll regret it." Out of breath, she turned to exit the agency. Regaining her composure, she offered the man a tight smile. "Have a nice day."

Shaking her head at the mess that had become her life, she headed down the street to Granny's, she needed to find Emma.

When Emma reached Granny's, her whole mood had been sour. If Mary Margaret hadn't been the cause of her awful mood, she would've stayed home and cuddled with her mother. But, that wasn't possible because she was angrier with Mary Margaret than she'd ever been with anyone in her entire life.

She played with the spoon in her hot chocolate and stared aimlessly at the cinnamon that sat atop her whipped cream. It reminded her too much of Mary Margaret. Hell, e_verything _reminded her of Mary Margaret. Now, even s_he r_eminded herself of Mary Margaret. Her friends had asked her numerous times what was wrong, but each time she shrugged her shoulders and went back to playing with the hot chocolate she knew was cold by now. She tried desperately not to think about the mother she now knew that had given her away or the father she didn't know. She tried not to remember the pain she felt in her chest at the fact that the person who was supposed to love her the most had lied to her and deceived her.

She laughed mirthlessly. Her life was now a game. When she was younger, she used to read fairytales and wish for a life like the princesses in the stories. She used to wish that her story would end in _Happily Ever After,_ but with each passing day that hope dwindled lesser and lesser. One day, she just stopped believing and today was the day that she refused to even think of such a thing. Today, she realized that it really was her against the world. Today, she realized that she was going to have to go through life alone, with no one to depend on.

It pained her that her mother hadn't even came back for her to check on her. Usually, Mary Margaret would've come back to make sure she was okay, but not this time. As if her mother was reading her mind, Mary Margaret walked through the door of Granny's, ready to tell Emma everything. She knew she had a lot of explaining to do, but she couldn't just keep it to herself.

Her heart sank when she saw Emma look up at her and then lower her head back to what she did. Tentatively walking over to her daughter, she stood over Emma, willing her to look up. When she didn't, she placed a hand on her shoulder, only to have Emma shrug it away.

"Emma, I would like to speak to you."

Emma gave her mother one look and gave her Regina Mills' perfected look. "Well, Miss Blanchard, I do not wish to speak to you."

Mary Margaret visibly flinched at the formality that came from her daughter's mouth. "Emma, we are going to talk whether you like it or not. You have a reason to be angry—"

"Hell yeah I do."

Eyes widening at Emma's lack of respect, Mary Margaret realized she was going to have to be more firm if she wanted Emma to listen to her. "Emma if you don't come home with me right now you won't have a phone for a week."

Narrowing her eyes at her foster mother, she scoffed. "You wouldn't"

Not even batting her eyelashes, she crossed her arms and gave Emma her famous mom-face. "Two weeks."

Realizing the woman was being serious, Emma got out of her chair and said goodbye to her friends who had been watching their exchange. Once getting not one, but _two _hugs from Ruby and Katherine, she begrudgingly left the restaurant with her mother. During the car ride, Emma chose to say nothing and Mary Margaret decided not to say anything to Emma either, giving her time to cool off.

Once the two pulled up to the house, Emma was out the door, leaving Mary Margaret in the car. Taking a minute to prepare herself, Mary Margaret pleaded with whoever was running things to let her keep her daughter. She didn't care about anything else, as long as she had Emma.


	10. Chapter 10

Hey Guys. I didn't get many reviews for Chapter 9- did you guys like it? I hope you enjoy this one more. Thank you all for sticking with me and tolerating this story. As I said, I'm new to the fandom but I think I've read every Romantic multi-chapter SQ fic to ever exist (I'm not kidding) so I decided to write one! By the way, I changed my penname to 'giaparrilla' which is the same as my twitter name. If you could notify other's so they're not confused, that'd be great! Sidenote: after this chapter, I'm really going to start focusing on Swan Queen. If you read this because of the MM and Emma moments- I'll still have those and some David, but my primary focus is SQ. Enjoy! x

Chapter 10

Mary Margaret walked into the apartment and opened the door. Surveying the apartment, she saw she couldn't see Emma downstairs so she figured she must've went to her room. Walking up the stairs, she wasn't exactly surprised to see the door closed and also wasn't surprised to see that Emma had locked the door. Knocking gently, she decided to take the kind approach at asking Emma to let her in. "Emma, sweetheart, please open the door."

When her pleas were only met with silence, she knocked a little louder. "Emma, we need to talk. I'm sure you have questions or maybe you just want to be angry, but you can't do either until you've heard my side. Will you please open the door?" When Mary Margaret was met with silence once again, she turned and slid down the door, her back resting on the door. She knew Emma could hear her, so she figured she'd start explaining now.

"I was 18. I met a wonderful man here in Storybrooke named David Nolan. He was…my prince charming. We started seeing each other and everything was great until my mother got sick. Between school, David, and taking care of my mother I was spread too thin. My family didn't come from money either, and any money we had saved up went towards my mother's medical bills. A few months after that, my mom passed away. My father wasn't the same after that. He didn't talk much, he didn't get out of the house much…he died shortly after. When my parents died, I was broke and so was David. David and I were still a strong couple, but then a man who claimed to be his father came into David's life and he had to stop seeing me. I know it had to be for a good reason, but to this day I'm unsure. I haven't seen David since then."

Mary Margaret took a deep breath and prepared herself for the hardest part to share. "Emma, I gave you up to give you your best chance. I know that if I would've kept you, I would've loved you almost as much as I do now, which is a lot. However, at the time I didn't have the money or time for a child. I wouldn't have been able to afford a child or have the time to show you the love and affection you needed. I wanted and still want the best for you Emma, which is why I gave you up. It wasn't because I didn't love you, it wasn't because I didn't want you, it's because I wanted to give you your best chance."

Taking in a deep breath, she felt the support from the door diminish. Turning around, she took in a tearful Emma who was standing in the doorway. She wanted nothing more than to stand up and hold Emma as the girl cried, but she knew it was too early for that. Gathering herself, she entered the room and took a seat on the bed. Emma got the hint and realized that now was when she could ask questions. "Mary Margaret, did you know that you were mother?"

Trying not to show her discomfort at being called by her first name, she calmly answered Emma. "Honestly, no. Today I came up to your room to get some laundry and I saw the blanket I knitted for you and the letter I wrote you. Someone I thought I trusted lied to me about you being my daughter." She wiped away a stray tear from Emma's face. "You knew I was your mother before I knew, how?"

Emma like a huge burden had just been lifted off of her. She had to admit, she was guilty for taking her anger out on Mary Margaret when she hadn't even known. Yes, she was still angry with her for giving her up, but she knew she would get over that eventually. She had had a good life growing up. She'd been in a couple foster homes after her adoptive parents died, but they hadn't treated her too poorly. In some, she felt like more of a meal ticket than anything, but she found that one loving hug from Mary Margaret could make up for all of that ten-fold.

Nodding at Mary Margaret's question, she prepared to explain. "It all started with the hot chocolate. I didn't know anyone else who took their hot chocolate with cinnamon on it, but then you came along. Then, it happened again when we were in the car. I asked you how old you were and you told me that you were 35, which is conveniently eighteen years older than me. I thought it was just a coincidence, but then I started noticing how much we look alike. I was looking through your photo albums of yourself when you had long hair, and we look a lot alike. Our chins are identical and I have your eyes. Then, I realized it really was you when I compared your handwriting to the handwriting in the letter you left me and found it to be identical."

Mary Margaret blinked, unable to register how smart her daughter was. Emma really was intuitive and would make an excellent lawyer someday. "Wow Emma, I didn't really notice that. Well here I am, your real mom…"

If the situation had been different, Emma would've laughed at how awkward Mary Margaret suddenly looked. It wasn't often that she did, but when she did Emma would laugh for days at how out of character an awkward Mary Margaret was. She felt she was straight on all the information about her parentage, except she needed to ask one more question.

As if reading her daughter's mind, "Emma you can ask me your question, I'll answer it." Judging by the look of reluctance on Emma's face, Mary Margaret tried to guess the question before Emma asked so she could mentally prepare herself. Unable to come up with anything, she nodded at her daughter, assuring her that it was okay to ask.

"What are we gonna do about my dad?"

What _are _we going to do about Emma's father, she thought. "I'll be honest with you, I don't know. I still don't know about the situation between him and his father, but I do want you to know your father Emma."

Emma felt like this conversation was going to get a lot more awkward. "Uh..Mary Margaret he's my physics teacher."

If there was ever a time where Emma felt sorry for Mary Margaret it had to be now. No one could mistake the look of shock that appeared on her face. "Oh…well, if you want to tell him, that's up to you. I don't know if it's safe for him to see me, so don't invite him over just yet, but I do want you to know him, he's a wonderful man." Mary Margaret could feel herself blush as she said that. It was crazy how she could still feel the same way about someone she dated sixteen years ago.

Nodding at her mother, Emma decided that maybe she still could consider Mary Margaret her family, and perhaps add to it.

That next morning at school, Emma couldn't stop thinking about 1) Regina Mills and 2)Her father. She didn't know which obstacle she wanted to tackle first. If she gave Regina her note now, she would be able to see how it affected her mood. If she visited her dad now, she might have to deal with him not wanting to speak to her later, in case she upset him.

Thinking to herself, she realized she could never _really _be Ms. Mills' true admirer unless she convinced the woman that it wasn't someone in her class. Opening up her phone to the online phone book, she typed in Ms. Mills' first and last name and waited for a result.

_Regina Mills (28-32)_

_108 Mifflin St. _

_Storybrooke, ME_

Emma giggled excitingly at the new information she had just received. She knew it was slightly creepy, but all she wanted was to make the woman smile. If she couldn't fully do that in school, then she was willing to whatever it took. Taking out a post-it note, she decided to give Ms. Mills the note now and then go visit her father with the remaining time in her free period.

Scribbling the words on the paper, she quickly dashed to Ms. Mills' room, pleased to find it empty. Checking to see if anyone was coming, she bounced into the room and stuck the note onto the woman's computer. Checking to see if the coast was clear, she exited the room, a smile on her face.

That smile quickly faded as the thought of meeting her father plagued her mind. _What will I say? What will he say? What do I do?_ She found her hands growing sweatier by the minute. Hearing her phone beep, she checked it. Smiling, she saw it was a message from Mary Margaret.

**Mom{9:23AM}: I know you're stressed about your father. Relax, be the Emma I know and love and all will be fine. Good luck, love. X**

Smiling to herself, she had to admit that she might have the most compassionate mother in the world. She always seemed to know when Emma needed her the most and when she needed space. Reading the message over again for reassurance, she walked to room 216 where she knew her father would be. Peaking inside, she was relieved that he didn't appear to be teaching a class, but was also nervous because that meant the moment when she had to talk to him was quickly approaching.

When she walked inside the room, she saw Mr. Nolan sitting at the computer, apparently fixing the powerpoint for class that day. He didn't look to be too concentrated, so she took the opportunity to speak. "Hey, Mr. Nolan."

She watched the man jump in surprise and chuckled at the fact that such a muscular man would be started by her. He quickly recovered and sent Emma a warm smile, causing the blonde to feel mushy inside. _Maybe this isn't just a Mary Margaret thing. _"Hey Emma! What can I do for you? I know you don't need help, Miss 102 on the last test!" He gave Emma a smug smile that she couldn't help but beam at.

She normally didn't like when people praised her academic achievements, but for some reason she didn't mind when he did it. "No I don't need help. I came to talk to you about something…"

Mr. Nolan's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Emma could tell he was wondering what she would ever need to talk to him about besides physics, but he listened eagerly nonetheless. "Sure Emma, anything. What's on your mind?"

Emma had waited for this moment her whole life. If she was asked to imagine this moment, she would've never guessed that she'd be having a conversation with her physics teacher in a science room and telling him he was her father. If there was one thing Ruby had taught her, it's that when you told someone something, you had to rip the band-aid off quickly. "You're my father."

As soon as the words left Emma's mouth, she started to regret them. Mr. Nolan didn't have an expression on his face. Emma truly couldn't tell whether he was angry, pleased, disappointed, or all of the above. They both stayed like this for a while until he spoke. "How do you know this, Emma?" He didn't doubt her words, it's just that there was only one possibility, and he wanted to make sure it was who he was thinking of.

"You know Mary Margaret? Yeah, she's my birth mom."

Realization dawned on his features. He had to admit, he was confused because he knew Mary Margaret wouldn't keep a daughter from him, so he waited for Emma to elaborate.

"My mom gave me up for adoption and I came back after 16 years. My mom told me someone lied to her about who I was so when she fostered me, she had no idea who I was. I figured it out though. It was hard, but yesterday she told me the whole story and apparently you're my father."

David didn't know what he felt more: anger because of what his step father did to him or joy because he had a daughter. He hadn't suspected it, but he always found himself staring at Emma during tests and quizzes because there was something he found familiar about her. Knowing it wasn't that appropriate for the workplace, he brought Emma into an awkward hug anyway. She stiffened, but eventually melted into the hug, happy to be in her father's embrace.


	11. Chapter 11

Hey guys, thank you so much for your support. To those of you who don't like my storyline w/ Emma, MM, and David, I'm not going to apologize. I love them as a family and would include them in any story I write, Swan Queen or not. However, this is a Swan Queen fic so Swan Queen is what the majority of this story is about. I'm thinking this will be a 20+ chapter story, so don't be angry that a few chapters of this include Mary Margaret and David, because they're a part of Emma's life. Enjoy this chapter x

Note: To my potential beta-reader, 'sybergrrl', I looked you up on here and I'm coming up with a blank. PM me if you're still interested.

Chapter 11

After meeting her father, Emma's days became even better. Her mother and father still hadn't spoken, but she was slowly forgiving Mary Margaret for giving her up. They didn't have movie nights anymore and she didn't let her mother braid her hair anymore, but they were slowly making progress. She and David (Who she was allowed to call that outside of class) had traded numbers and she would call him before bed every night. All of her free periods that she didn't share with friends were spent either with him or leaving Ms. Mills notes.

Speaking of Ms. Mills, she and Belle were now on a mission. After finding out the older woman's address, Emma got Belle to drive her over to the woman's house. They were now in the car, turning onto Mifflin Street.

Belle looked over to Emma, "Are you sure this is the right street? These are mansions and well, Ms. Mills is your English teacher and I'm not sure her crappy salary can afford a mansion…"

Emma shook her head. "Maybe not, but have you met her? She wears all designer clothes and her shoes are _never _out of season. I've never seen her wearing something I would see someone like …_Granny _wearing." As she said that, Emma couldn't help but clamp her legs together. The thought of Ms. Mills' outfits made Emma grow wet. Too many times she'd catch herself staring at Ms. Mills' delectable ass, clad in a tight dress or pencil skirt. Sometimes she'd find her mouthwatering for just one touch of—

"Emma!"

Emma eye's averted over to a wide eyed Belle who had just spent the last five minutes trying to get her friend's attention. Looking over at the window, she saw Ms. Mills' house. Emma's eyes widened as she took in the size of the house. It was much bigger than the other houses on the street and confirmed Emma's suspicion that her teacher was _loaded._

Belle parked a few houses down from Ms. Mills' and Emma got out of the car. Emma used the window to make sure no blonde hair or skin was showing. They were positive that Ms. Mills wasn't home due to the fact that her Mercedes Benz wasn't home and that they had seen the woman in Granny's grading some papers. Not wanting to risk the woman returning, Emma sprinted to the front door, retrieving the letter she had written in the process. Carefully putting it through the mail slot on the door, she quickly ran back to the car.

Once inside, she hadn't realized how nervous she was until Belle looked at her with a raised eyebrow and took her pulse. "You good?"

She nodded, and released a breath she hadn't known she was holding when they pulled away from Ms. Mills' house. She knew that if she was caught before she had made a large impact on her that might be more detrimental than anything.

Regina Mills had had a pretty uneventful Saturday. Every Saturday morning, she headed to Granny's diner to catch up on her graded. Granted, she was never really _behind _on grading, but grading with a cup of coffee always calmed her down. Most teachers at Storybrooke High that taught more than one period of an AP class had a return policy of 2 weeks for essays, but her's was about 3 days because she didn't really have a life.

On her way home, she began to dread going home. When her father died, he left her money, more money than she knew what to do with. Her mother had left her her childhood home when she passed as well, so Regina had a lot of money that she didn't necessarily want.

Coming home to an empty house, she couldn't help but sigh. Each day she woke up alone and went to sleep alone. She wasn't an unattractive woman, but her love life continued to be nonexistent year after year. She was only 29, but she felt like she was 40. As soon as she got in the door, she picked up the mail on auto-pilot and put her coat on the coat rack by the door, taking her shoes off. She threw her mail down on the kitchen counter, knowing it could wait until she finished making herself lunch.

After debating what to have for lunch, she decided on a salad for lunch with her famous apple cider. Well, it wasn't exactly famous considering the fact that she'd never shared it with anyone. Sitting down at the bar in the kitchen, she decided she'd go through her mail, already anticipating what it'd be. _Bills, Bills, Catalogue, more bills, Letter-. Letter? _

She quickly but neatly opened the letter with her name written on the front. It read:

_**Regina,**_

_**All my life, my heart has yearned for a thing I cannot name. Now, I can name it. It's you. You make me smile when all I wish to do is cry. You make my heart race, when all I want is to forget my own existence. You make my whole world light up when it feels as if I'm surrounded by darkness.**_

_**I'm aware of how insignificant you feel, and I'm telling you not to when just the sight of you can turn my whole day around. Have a wonderful weekend. **_

By the time Regina finished reading the letter, she was in tears. _Who is this? _She had been pretty sure that the person had been one of her students, but considering that she never made enough conversation with any students she could think of, she was now convinced that it was a colleague. After all, no students had access to her address, but all other staff members of the school were aware of each other's addresses.

Walking up her stairs, she went to her study. She would never admit to anyone else, but all the notes she'd ever received from her anonymous admirer were kept in a single drawer. At first, she thought it was a joke, but now she could feel herself slowly starting to fall for this secret admirer of hers. Well, at least their words anyway.

The following Monday, Emma had been having a bad day. She had gotten into a fight with Mary Margaret. She winced as she recalled the events that led to their argument.

_Emma had woken up approximately ten minutes before her alarm was set to go off, which was the usual. However, she could smell her mother cooking her breakfast downstairs even though Emma never ate it anymore. She was still mad at Mary Margaret and she wasn't about to give in just because she liked hot meals. She could cook herself her own breakfast, she told herself. _

_Deciding that she wanted to look good for Ms. Mills, she looked in her closet for a good outfit. For her seventeenth birthday, Ruby got her an adorable dress. The dress was collared and consisted of a long-sleeved black and white striped top with a black bottom half. _

_Pulling it on, she loved the way it hugged her curves. Underneath, she pulled on black tights to combat the cold which also made her legs look super-hot. She smiled at herself in the mirror and thought about what she should do with her hair. She didn't want to wear it up today, so she decided on wearing it down, her blonde curls framing her face perfectly._

"_Emma, breakfast!"_

_Emma scowled at the sound of her mother's voice. She didn't know why, but she was starting to grow more and more annoyed with the sound of Mary Margaret's voice. Grabbing her black trench coat and bag, she headed down the stairs. _

"_Emma you look nice!" Mary Margaret attempted to hug and kiss her daughter, but frowned as she was shrug away. When she saw that Emma was about to head out the door, she began to frown even more. "Emma, aren't you going to stay for breakfast? I made it just for you…"_

_Emma felt bad for her mother, but she wasn't going to back down. Mary Margaret was just going to have to accept that she was mad at her. "Well you should've asked me before you made it, and I would've told you no. Do you ever think about what I want?" Emma scoffed, "All you think about is what you want."_

_Mary Margaret shook her head in disbelief. Where was her daughter? "Emma I know you're still angry with me, but you don't get to act this way. It isn't fair to me."_

_Emma raised an eyebrow. "Fair to YOU? What about me, Mary Margaret? Didn't you ever consider what the fuck was fair to me?!"_

"_Emma, I am your mother, that is NOT how you speak to me!"_

"_You should've thought about that before you gave me up, Mary Margaret." Emma spat. _

_Hearing the silence that filled the room, Emma left the house, slamming the door behind her, ignoring a weeping Mary Margaret. _

Yes, Emma Swan was in a terrible mood. Taking it upon herself to better her mood, she decided to leave Ms. Mills a note. Relieved at seeing that the room was in fact empty, she was searching her bag for her note to give to Ms. Mills when she heard the unmistakable sound of heels against the marble floor.

"Miss Swan, what are you doing here?"

Emma stopped in her tracks, unable to breathe. She winced at the accusing tone of Ms. Mills. She knew one of these days she'd be caught, but she hadn't thought it'd be so soon. She released the breath she'd been holding when she realized the post-it note was in fact still in her pocket, so she had a chance at making it out of this alive. Turning to meet the cold gaze of Ms. Mills, she shuddered in response. "Hey Miss Mills…I was looking for you."

Ms. Mills raised her eyebrow, showing Emma that she didn't believe a word she was saying. "Miss Swan, I hope you do know that lying is highly frowned upon and is one of my greatest pet-peeves."

Emma winced. _How would she react to knowing Emma was sending her secret notes? _Emma decided to take a different approach. "Okay, I'm sorry. I was looking for you though. I'm having an awful morning and I don't have anyone to talk to so I came here. I know we haven't gotten along in the past, but you're going to be my teacher next year as well so…I don't want any tension."

Ms. Mills stood there for a moment, her eyes narrowing as she analyzed the blonde's face, trying to detect a lie. When she couldn't find one, she decided to indulge her student. "Very well, Miss Swan. May I ask why your morning was bad?" She went over to her desk and bent down to retrieve an apple from the box she kept. While she was down, Emma reached into her pocket and quickly put the note on the teacher's keyboard.

Looking at the look of astonishment on Emma's face, she spoke, "Surely you didn't think I was going to send you on your way and deny you some sort of comfort."

Emma took in the way her teacher spoke. She still spoke to her with that formality she had spoken with since the first day of school, but there was something else…something caring underneath the formality of it all. "Well, I'm a foster child."

Recognition flooded Ms. Mills' features. "Is that why you don't feel important?"

By the time Ms. Mills realized her slip up, Emma's eyes widened comically. Deciding to play it cool, she asked with subtlety, "How long have you spoken Spanish?"

She looked back at Emma with a raised eyebrow, but didn't say anything. "Since I was a little girl. My father was from Puerto Rico."

Emma took in the sad demeanor the teacher displayed as well as the word w_as. _However, as soon as the look was there it was gone. Before Emma had a chance to question her further, Ms. Mills jumped right back into what they'd been discussing. "So Miss Swan, you have yet to answer my question. Is that why you don't feel important?"

Emma nodded, but when she saw the look on Ms. Mills' face, she figured the woman wanted her to explain. "When I was three, I was adopted by a family who loved me. They were the Swans. They would cook for me and I would get to help with recipes because they were chefs. I was happy there, until they died." Emma wiped away a stray tear and continued, "They died and every home after that wasn't bad, but it was clear that I was only a meal ticket. I wasn't loved or valued."

Neither of them had noticed that Ms. Mills' hand had went to hold Emma's or that Emma had subconsciously gripped the woman's hand back. Emma continued, "I wasn't loved until I found Mary Margaret. She's an elementary school teacher and she took me in because Mr. Gold convinced her to. She loves me and I love her. The more time I spent at her house though, the more similarities I noticed between her and I. We look alike, we like the same things, we think the same, and eventually I noticed the blanket my birth mother left me and the note she left me was identical to the smell and handwriting of Mary Margaret."

By now, Emma was crying hysterically by the time she got to the end of her story. She hadn't realized how much all of this had affected her until she talked to someone about it. Sniffling, she met the comforting gaze of her teacher who urged her to continue. "I found out that she's my birth mom and Mr. Nolan is my father. Mr. Gold lied to her about her being my mom and apparently she gave me up because she was too poor to take care of me."

When Emma finished, Regina took in how distraught the girl really looked. She looked beautiful as always, but there was a sadness in her eyes that she'd only seen once before. She knew that sadness all too well. She wished she could do nothing more than hold the girl and assure her that everything was okay. Shaking her head, she didn't even want to think about why she wanted to be compassionate towards her student. Instead, she pulled her hand away instantly but adapted a soft tone of voice and let Emma hear the concern in her voice.

"Miss Swan—"

"Emma, please call me Emma."

Ignoring the fact that Emma had just interrupted her, she nodded and began to speak again, "_Emma, _I'm not going to lie to you and say that I understand because I don't. What I will say is that your mother clearly loves you. I know you're angry with her; that I _do _get, but from personal experience I've learned that anger is an emotion that can change a person completely and take away every ounce of love they've ever known, leaving them void of any happiness."

When Emma looked into Ms. Mills' eyes, she saw pain in the woman's face, but she also saw empathy. She knew that Ms. Mills knew anger all too well, and she knew she could trust this woman. "Emma, you must forgive your mother. I know it seems impossible now, but you can't dwell in the past, it'll only hold you back. If you can't do it for me, do it for yourself because ten, twenty years from now you'll look back and thank yourself for doing it."

Emma thought about what her teacher had told her. Usually when people other than MM gave her advice, she didn't take it. She pretended to listen, but never would because no one understood how her mind worked. Ms. Mills was _different. _Emma had no idea how she was different, but she was glad that she was because she couldn't ignore the growing connection between the two of them. This would've been the perfect opportunity for them to kiss, but Emma wanted to get farther in Operation Swan Queen before she made a move, also, she didn't know if she was misreading the situation.

Gathering herself and her things, she went to thank Ms. Mills who was now mentally kicking herself for letting a student past her solemn and emotionless façade.

"Thank you so much Ms. Mills…I can't even express how grateful I am for your advice. If there is ever anything I can do for you, please let me know."

Emma watched as she older woman shook her head. "That won't be necessary, dear. I'm always here for you, Emma."

Emma smiled at that, happy to have made her way to the woman's good side. Except now, Ms. Mills looked as if she had something to say.

"Miss—Emma, I do have to apologize for my behavior at the dance. You didn't deserve that and I know I basically called you a whore, but you are not the latter. I'm sorry, I was too harsh."

"It's alright Ms. Mills. May I ask why you were so harsh" Emma saw Ms. Mills' look of discomfort, but as soon as it appeared it had vanished.

"I've been here for a few years, and I've seen Mr. Humbert with _quite _a few female escapades and I simply couldn't watch him make you one as well." Regina knew this was basically her telling Emma that she 1) cared about her and 2) was jealous, but she was banking on the fact that Emma didn't know that.

Emma did know, in fact she knew the answer to the question before she asked it, but she needed a confirmation from Ms. Mills that Belle was right. When she saw the look of jealousy in her teacher's eyes, she kept a straight face, not wanting to let on that she knew that Ms. Mills was jealous. Instead of verbally responding, Emma nodded her head and started to walk towards the door. "Thank you again Ms. Mills, and thank you for the apology." Deciding to be risky, Emma threw in a wink and her famous smirk and walked out of the door, not even daring to see the teacher's reactions.

When Emma left, Regina released the breath she'd been holding. It stunned her how a student she swore she hated could have such a huge effect on her. She didn't want to think about it anymore so she decided she'd enter some grades into the online gradebook before her 5th period class.

The white post-it note sitting on her keyboard had made her equally shocked and happy. _When did they drop it off? _She made a mental note to ask Emma if she had seen anyone coming out of the room when she came in. A smile adorned her face when she saw that whoever had left the post-it note had drawn an apple on the post-it.

**My apologies, I have seemed to have run out of red post-it notes.**

**(Turn to the other side)**

Obliging and turning to the other side, she almost gushed at the sight. On the back was a beautiful drawing of an apple blossom tree.

**Did you know that apple blossoms symbolize beauty? No wonder apples are considered forbidden fruit and it is no coincidence that you can't get enough of them. **

Regina gushed at the conspicuous flirtation in the note. It was obvious that whoever this was was desperately trying to get her to realize that she was beautiful.

Deciding to write them back, she pulled out a post-it note of her own. Leaving it on her desk for whoever to find, she left the room to go use the bathroom before her next class.

That night, Emma came home to a quiet house. Shutting the door quietly, she walked around the apartment to see if anyone was home. Because she was still upset with Mary Margaret, she refused to risk her mother being home by asking if she was there or not.

As she was walking towards the kitchen, she could hear a distant sound. Following the noise, she noticed that the closer she got to Mary Margaret's bathroom, the louder the sound would get. Standing outside the bathroom door, she could make out the distinct sound of Mary Margaret crying to herself.

At the sound of that, Emma's heart sank and she was flooded with guilt. Upon hearing her mother crying, she realized that she was just keeping herself _and _her mother from being happy by being a jerk. She didn't like that her mother gave her away, but it is what it is. _You can't dwell in the past. _Ms. Mills' words echoed in her ears and soon enough she found herself tentatively turning the door knob to reveal a hysterical Mary Margaret. When her mother didn't even look up at her, she knew she'd hurt her…_badly._

"Mom?"

At the name of affection, Mary Margaret's face lit up and she looked her daughter in the eye. _Was Emma not upset with her anymore?_

As if reading her mother's mind, Emma nodded. "Yes, I'm still upset with you, but I do forgive you. I'm also sorry for how I've treated you. You were right, you are still my mother and you deserve respect."

Mary Margaret let out a sigh of relief. "I hate it when we fight Emma."

At this, Emma began to laugh. "Mom we've never fought!"

Mary Margaret laughed, because they really _haven't. _In a way, they had been like mother and daughter but also like best friends who only fought about trivial things like who got the last of the whipped cream to use on their hot chocolate.

Emma looked at her mom and decided to be playful like they used to be. "Best friends?"

At this, MM's heart raced and she nodded vehemently. "Best friends."

Reading each other's minds, they both held out their pinkies and gripped the others' in a pinkie-promise. Emma may have still been mad at her mother, but she knew that they could get through it. Silently, she thanked Ms. Mills, the woman she had become enamored with.


	12. Chapter 12

Thank you for your reviews! I really love this story, it's A LOT easier to write than my Grey's Anatomy fics are. I feel like I was made to love Swan Queen, you know? Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter x

Chapter 12

Emma sat in lunch with her friends, just happy to be there with them. She had been kind of distant throughout the whole Mary Margaret ordeal and was enjoying the time she spent with them. Belle was as usual reading a book, but Emma sat beside Belle and Katherine, across from Ruby. Now, her friends were taking time to interrogate her about Ms. Mills and the note she left her on her desk.

"Emma, pleeeeeease tell us, you know you want to!" Ruby batted her eyelashes at Emma and poked her lips out, giving her her best puppy dog face.

Emma shook her head, her lips forming a grin. "I don't know…" She was just messing with Ruby, because Ruby was fun to mess with. She had originally planned to tell them, but seeing Ruby beg was just too hilarious.

Everyone else at the table was looking at Emma, waiting for her to reveal what Ms. Mills had written her. They all looked more excited about what Emma was going to share than anything else, all except Tink. Tink wore a scowl on her face. Emma could tell she was trying to conceal it, but was failing. Whenever Emma's eyes met her's, she looked downward, as if doing so would erase Emma's observations.

Ignoring Tink, Emma acquiesced and finally gave her friends what they'd been begging for. "After I talked to Mr. Nolan I went into her room again and saw that she wasn't there. When I looked at her desk, I saw a red post-it note that was left for me, because I myself ran out of them." Emma reached into her pocket and pulled out that very note, "It's not much, but it's definitely better than the note she gave me a few weeks ago telling me to knock it off."

Emma passed around the note so her friends could see it. When the note got to Tinkerbell, she read the note, her face screwing up with each word:

_**You are quite the charmer, aren't you? If your goal was to make me smile, you've succeeded.**_

_**~Regina **_

Not knowing what overcame her, she ripped the note in two, then fourths, and so on, the sound of the paper ripping was music to her ears. When she looked up, she saw Emma's jaw look as if it were going to fall to the ground any second and the rest of her friends looked as if they wanted to kill her. She felt a pang of guilt flood her features but that quickly turned into anger.

Katherine was going to give Tink a piece of her mind first, but Emma raised a hand, showing Tink that she would handle this. "Tink, why would you rip my note?" Emma was angry, but she was also sad. The first and only kind note she had from Regina was gone, and she didn't know if she'd be getting another one anytime soon.

"You didn't deserve the note," she spat. "In fact, you don't deserve anything you have. You're nothing but an orphan."

Emma visibly flinched at Tinkerbell's harsh words. After she initially met Tinkerbell, she could feel the growing disdain that Tink felt for her, but she'd always ignored it, avoiding any sort of confrontation. Something in Emma told her to fight back and not let her walk over her, but everything in her told her to run. After all, she w_as_ an orphan and that's what she was good at, running.

Not even sparing her friends a glance, she left the table, walking quickly so they wouldn't be able to catch up to her. She went to the first place she thought of, Ms. Mills' room, wiping away the tears as they fell. By the time she got to the teacher's room, she was dry heaving.

Regina was grading some papers and eating her lunch, as usual. This time though, she could find herself growing more and more excited to get a note from her secret admirer, because she saw that the note she'd left them was now gone. Pulled away from her grading, Regina looked up to see a hysterical Emma Swan standing in her door way. Immediately dropping what she was doing, she got up and went over to comfort the girl.

Strong arms reached out and pulled Emma into their soft embrace, Emma humming in response. It felt good, _too _good to be in her teacher's arms. She rested her head on her teacher's shoulders and rested her head in the crook of her neck.

Regina shifted uncomfortably at the intimate contact but shook it off, happy to give Emma whatever she needed. Her heart went out to her, and she could feel even herself tearing up at the thought of the girl having such a hard life. After what seemed like forever, Emma lifted her head and teary eyes met Ms. Mills'.

Releasing Emma from her embrace, Regina shifted backward to sit on an empty desk. "Emma, what's wrong?"

Emma sniffled and began to cry all over again. Shaking her head, her face contorted again as tear after tear fell down her face.

With increasing time, Regina began to feel worse and worse as she listened to her student's cries. "Emma, may I hug you again?" Seeing her student nod, Regina wrapped her arms around her, not even caring about Emma ruining her shirt.

She held Emma for what seemed like eternity, and when she felt the blonde shift, she prepared herself so she could listen to Emma tell her what was wrong.

"One of my so-called friends called me an orphan and said I didn't deserve what I have." It was a simple sentence, but it had so much weight to it that Regina couldn't help but want to cry with Emma. _How could someone be so cruel? _

Gently placing a finger under the blonde's chin, Regina softly urged Emma's head upward so they could make eye contact with one another. "Emma, you do know that you're not an orphan right?" Regina held her hand in place, because she knew that after that Emma's gaze would've dropped and never raised.

When Emma shrugged her shoulders, Regina's heart sank. "Emma, I need you to know that you're not an orphan. What you were is not _who _you are. You're such a special girl and you're incredibly intelligent. I see great things coming from you, Miss Swan. Just because once upon a time you may have been considered an orphan does not mean that that was who you are or is who you are. You deserve to be happy, Emma, nothing less."

Emma's heart warmed at her teacher's kind words. She had to admit, how wonderful Ms. Mills could be made her heart swell. It wasn't that she was surprised that her soft side existed, she just never expected that it'd be _her _on the receiving end. Catching the woman off guard, she pulled the teacher into her embrace. "Thank you, Ms. Mills."

Regina melted into the hug and rubbed her hand on Emma's head, "You're quite welcome, dear."

In response, Emma poked Ms. Mills' arm, laughing at the way the woman reacted to being poked. "Do you always call everyone _dear, _dear?" Emma laughed, the resonance of her laugh filling the room, Ms. Mills joining her.

"I do suppose I use that word a lot." She wasn't going to lie, it felt really good to be able to joke like this with someone. It had been years since she had genuinely laughed with anyone other than at her own jokes, and even that had been forced. With this whole secret admirer thing and her new found acquaintance with Emma Swan, Regina Mills could say her life was starting to become less and less monotonous with each passing day. Speaking of the admirer, she decided she'd ask Emma about it now. "Emma, when you were in here yesterday fourth period, did you see anyone coming out?" Regina tried to keep her voice as casual and nonchalant as possible, not wanting to give away that she was hoping Emma had.

Emma knew exactly what Ms. Mills was getting at, but she made a huge effort not to show any recognition. "No, I'm sorry Ms. Mills. Was I supposed to?"

Regina shook her head vehemently, almost too quickly in Emma's opinion. "No dear."

Before they could discuss it further, the bell rang, signaling that their time together had come to an end. Emma noticed that Ms. Mills looked almost disappointed to see her leave. "Bye Emma."

After thanking Ms. Mills again, Emma headed out the door.

Since it was a Tuesday, it was Emma's lab day, but Mr. Nolan had cancelled it because the majority of the kids were on a trip to New York City for AP Economics. Emma had taken the class the year before, so she didn't get to go on the trip.

Emma decided to stay for the lab anyway and help her dad, because he looked like he wanted to bond and she didn't have any objection to that either. Now, they were grading labs. Normally, he wouldn't allow students to help grade labs but he knew he could trust Emma and well, she had maintained a 99+ average in his class, so it was safe to assume her grading would be pretty accurate.

"David, do you want me to grab the scantron machine so I can finish the tests?" When he nodded, Emma went into the back room and grabbed the machine. When she came in, she found David staring into space. "David, you okay?"

David turned to look at his daughter. Instead of answering her question, he decided to answer a question with another question. "You know you can call me dad, right?"

Emma hadn't really thought about that, to be honest. She never really felt awkward around him, but she had only really called him David because the thought of calling him Dad had never occurred to her. Nodding her head, she decided to test the name on her lips. "I know that, d_ad._" Her lips curled into a smile when she saw how his eyes lit up at the name, much like Mary Margaret's always did.

The two worked in silence for the remaining time, Emma scanning scantrons and David grading labs and written sections of tests until the bell rang. Emma walked to the back room and put the machine away and gathered the graded scantrons and handed them to her father. "Here you go dad."

He accepted them with a smile, grateful to have her assistance. "Thank you Emma for helping me. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Nodding at her father, she accepted his hug that he offered her, melting into it. "See you tomorrow."

Walking out into the hallway, she checked her phone and saw a text from Mary Margaret saying she was outside waiting for her. Because Ms. Mills' room wasn't far away, she took her already written note and went to the woman's room. Deciding to be risky, she walked into Ms. Mills' room and saw the woman once again grading papers at her desk.

"Ms. Mills?"

Regina looked up to see Emma Swan in her doorway. Happy to see that she didn't seem to be upset, she smiled warmly at the blonde. "Hey Emma. What can I do for you?" She looked down to see a red post-it note in the blonde's hands and immediately tensed. "What are you doing with that…?"

Emma took in how nervous Ms. Mills looked. "I saw this note stuck to your door and decided I'd deliver it to you. Don't worry though, I didn't read it." Emma walked the distance from the door to Ms. Mills and gave the woman the note.

When Emma didn't leave, Regina glared at her. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Emma smiled smugly and turned on her heel and walked out the door, leaving Regina to read the note she left to her.

_**Regina,**_

_**I'm not trying to be charming, I just simply can't contain how much I adore you.**_

_**You look radiant today.**_

Even the simplest of compliments could leave Regina a smiling mess. What scared her though was that she was falling for whoever this was and had no idea who it could be.


	13. Chapter 13

Hey guys! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. I wouldn't say this story is "Slow Burn", I'd say that this story is an example that the greatest kind of love is the love you have when your best friend is the same person you're in love with. That's all I'll say. Enjoy this chapter x

Chapter 13

Emma woke up bright and early on Wednesday morning. She had made breakfast for Mary Margaret, as an extension of her apology for her behavior in the past week. Mary Margaret gladly accepted the breakfast and was even happier that Emma agreed to let her give her a ride to school.

Upon entering the building, Emma walked to her locker to get the proper notebooks she needed. Emma was really excited for today, it was the last day of the first quarter which meant all the teachers would be giving back assignments they haven't yet. In AP Government, they had a debate that Emma was super excited for and in English she was getting pack her ten-page "book report" she had written. She was anxious to see what Ms. Mills had to say about it because she had had to discuss personal things in that book. She was also excited to see her father again, for what reason she didn't know.

She turned around quickly on her heels when she felt arms wrap around her waist. At the sight of Ruby she hugged the taller girl back. "Hey Rubes, what is it with you and needing to scare the shit out of me?" Emma chuckled, only half kidding.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, it's kind of what I do. Making people uncomfortable comforts me in a way Em."

Emma had to agree to that. Ruby had a habit of prying into Emma's personal life and weaseling her way past Emma's walls no matter how hard Emma tried not to let her past. At first, it was kind of annoying but just like with everyone else in their group, Ruby had grown on her. "Hey Rubes, can I ask you something?"

Ruby's smile fell at Emma's serious tone. "Yeah Em, what is it?"

"What was going on with Tink yesterday?" Emma was more concerned than angry. She knew that there must have been bothering her friend and she wasn't going to jump to conclusions and get angry before she knew the whole story.

Ruby simply shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. She's been super distant since she came back from Indonesia with her parents if you ask me."

As if she heard them talking about her, they saw Tinkerbell approaching them as they walked to the gym. Ruby, being the Queen of avoiding confrontation unless necessary left Emma and Tink to chat.

Emma crossed her arms, refusing to give in and speak until she had heard 1)an apology and 2)an explanation from the girl. They walked together, but Tink didn't say anything. Emma turned and raised her eyebrow at her, silently telling her to either talk or get lost.

"I'm sorry Emma."

When Emma didn't budge, she figured Emma wanted an explanation for her behavior before she could forgive her. "Ever since I came back from vacation, no one's taken interest in me. All everyone seems to care about is you and it isn't fair."

Tinkerbell _was _jealous. _But why? _Emma didn't necessarily have low self esteem but she had trouble figuring out why anyone would be jealous of her. She simply looked at Tinkerbell, urging her to continue.

"I feel and felt like I didn't matter. So, I hurt your feelings and ripped your note. I know me being jealous isn't an excuse."

Emma couldn't help but feel saddened by how defeated her friend looked. Tinkerbell looked like Emma had when she first started staying with Mary Margaret, like she had no purpose. Deciding to let this go, she was going to become even better friends with Tink and show her that she was important. Her hand went up to the girl's shoulder and squeezed, trying to comfort her friend as best as she could. "Tink, I'm not going to lie and say you didn't hurt my feelings because you did. But, I do understand. I used to feel the same way you do which is why we're going to get closer. Even if you don't believe me, I _do _care about you, Tink."

Emma could tell that Tink was tired of having her emotions on display when all she got was a curt nod from the girl. The two turned and walked to the locker room in silence.

As soon as Emma arrived in Ms. Mills' class, she could practically smell the disappointment that filled the room. She didn't see anyone crying, but judging by the look on their faces she could tell their grades weren't quite what they expected them to be. She tentatively walked over to her seat next to Killian Jones, and was prepared to turn over her paper when Killian tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey Swan, I know you're smart and all but even Emmett Yang got a B on his paper, good luck." He laughed at the look of distaste Emma gave him.

She acted as if his words didn't have an effect on her, but they did. She didn't give a fuck about the grade, she was just worried about what Ms. Mills would think of her. Flipping over the paper, she saw an A+ written at the top. Unable to believe it, she scanned over her paper to see only one mistake corrected. When she flipped to the back, the comments she read made her heart melt.

_**Miss Swan-**_

_**Your writing never ceases to amaze me, both English and Spanish. I especially liked how you were able to connect a problem from so long ago to something you have struggled with in the past and now. Your essay was organized, to the point, and concise. 99%**_

To say she was shocked was an understatement. Her gaze moved upward and caught that of Ms. Mills who was trying and failing miserably to hide her growing smile. She winked at Emma and walked to the front of the room to address the class, leaving a crushing Emma to mentally freak out.

Clearing her throat, Regina addressed her class. "Hello everyone. Judging by your looks of disappointment, I've decided not to do the lesson I had planned today but rather discuss how this assignment went." She noted how relieved everyone looked and turned to Emma. "Miss Swan, would you mind bringing me your essay? I'd like to use it."

Afraid of saying no, Emma simply acquiesced and brought her paper to the front of the room. She didn't know whether she was more flattered or embarrassed at this point. If Ms. Mills had caught whiff of her apprehension, she didn't show it.

"Class, everyone except Miss Swan here received a B or lower on their essay." She waited as the class erupted in gasps, unable to comprehend how such a seemingly normal person could achieve such a high grade. "I am not saying this to make you feel inferior, I am telling you this so that you may use this class period to improve upon your skills so that when I do this the next time you'll do better."

Ms. Mills spent the rest of the class period lecturing about the importance of analysis, organization, sentence structure, and being concise. By the end, everyone except Emma had been bored to death, their concerns about their grades being long gone.

When the bell rang, Emma gathered her things and waited for the students to file out before retrieving her paper from her teacher. "Thank you Ms. Mills."

Ms. Mills shook her head, "No need to thank me dear, you earned it."

The two stared into each other's eyes and Emma took the opportunity to let her eyes travel downward to her teacher's cleavage. The woman was wearing a dark grey silk blouse with black slacks, and black louboutins to match. When her gaze traveled upward, she realized she'd been caught.

Deciding not to back down, she decided she was going to use lunch as an opportunity to get closer to Ms. Mills. Putting on her best sad face, she looked Ms. Mills in the eye. "Hey Ms. Mills, I know you're probably very busy but—"

"Yes you may Miss Swan." Regina decided to just answer the student. Even though it was adorable when she rambled, she decided she'd save them both some time. Wait, _adorable? _When she saw the confusion on Emma's face, she raised a sculpted eyebrow. "Yes Emma you may eat lunch with me today. I think you forget that I've grown to know you quite well, Miss Swan."

At first, being called Miss Swan had both frightened and annoyed Emma, but now it sent a wave of pleasure straight to her core. Mary Margaret hearing her in the shower had been one thing, but being caught fantasizing about a teacher in front of said teacher was something she refused to let happen. "It's Emma, Ms. Mills. I know you have to maintain your regality at all times, but when it's just you and I you can call me Emma."

"Regality, Miss Swan? Whatever do you mean?"

_There goes that damn eyebrow again. _"You know what I mean. You are more like a queen than anything else. Actually, everyone calls you the _Evil Queen_, did you know that?"

If Ms. Mills had been offended by the nickname, she didn't show it. Instead, she led their conversation to a different area. "Do you think I'm evil Emma?" She didn't know why she cared about the opinion of a seventeen year old, but somehow Emma's opinion mattered to her the most.

"No!" Emma responded, quite too quickly. She softened her voice and let her eyes meet Regina's. "No, of course I don't. Want to know what I think?" When Regina nodded, Emma continued, "I think you've just had a hard life. I think there was perhaps someone who hurt you and made you think that you didn't deserve to be loved. I think that over time your belief in happiness and love has dwindled and as a result, you let that influence how you treat others. You have walls built up that are extremely hard to get through, but as someone who has gotten past them, you are by far the kindest woman I've had the pleasure of meeting. You're warm-hearted and you deserve to be happy. So no, you're not Evil…just hurt."

By the end, Regina was in tears. Instead of freaking out, Emma did what Ms. Mills had done for her when she couldn't stop crying. Her hand reached out and grabbed the older woman's hand in her own. She gave the hand a squeeze and could tell that Ms. Mills was going to tell her something, so she waited.

"It was my mother. She was in fact evil. I wouldn't say she was abusive, but she was manipulative enough to convince me that love was weakness and that everything she wanted for me was in my best interest. She would lock me in my room for hours at end if I wasn't obedient enough in her eyes. Everything had to be perfect. When I told her I wanted to be a teacher, she shook her head and told me I was going to be a lawyer like her. I defied her and applied to New York University and got my bachelors and masters there. Then, I came here." Ms. Mills sniffled as she was about to tell the worst part of her story it seemed. "My mother cut me off. She was filthy rich, and so was my father. He was my world, but he was too weak to stand up for me. When she cut me off, I had no money and got through school on the cash my father would give me when he could sneak away from my mother. My parents died two years ago in a car accident, leaving me everything they had. I am filthy rich, but money can't buy happiness, I don't care how much of it you have."

Emma's heart broke for her teacher. _How can someone so beautiful be so miserable? _Emma got out of her chair and pulled Ms. Mills into a hug, rubbing soft circles on the older woman's shoulder. After what seemed like forever she pulled away and the two were left in a comfortable silence. Before Emma got the chance to ask Ms. Mills more questions, the bell rang. Gathering her uneaten lunch, she gave the woman another reassuring hug before leaving the room.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Emma quietly walked the short distance to Storybrooke Elementary, slowing becoming more and more excited to see her mother. She didn't have anything in particular to tell her mother, but today was Wednesday which meant movie night. Over the weekend, she'd stopped by Blockbuster to get a new movie which she was going to show her mother that night. When Emma reached the small stone building, she walked through its glass doors and walked the usual route she took to Mary Margaret's room, offering hello's to everyone familiar she saw.

When Emma got to Mary Margaret's room, she saw the infamous Sidney Glass in her mother's classroom, clearly searching for something. Emma thought Mary Margaret had been exaggerating when she told her that Sidney had stolen two other teachers' jobs, but now she knew her mother hadn't been kidding. Putting on her best I'm-Mary-Margaret-and-I-may-look-harmless-but-I'm-not face, she entered the room, letting the door slam behind her, smirking at the way the man flinched.

"Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Glass?"

Sidney Glass turned around at the sound of Emma and the door and sighed in relief at the fact that it wasn't Mary Margaret who caught him. Despite popular belief, the woman was scary when she was angry, she wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. However, he had still been caught and was trying not to stumble over his words. "H-hey Emma, I w-was ju-just—"

Emma gave him a pointed look that told him he needed to shut up or there would be hell to pay. "Mr. Glass, this is me you're talking to, not the other teacher's whose jobs you've managed to swindle out of their grasp. Now tell me, what the _hell _are you doing in my mother's room?" She walked up to the man, almost laughing at the how quickly his face seemed to be growing paler by the second. When she saw him begin to speak, she held her hand out. "No, don't even speak because I don't want to know. You're going to march your ass across the room and stand on the other side of the door and stay out of my mom's classroom, you hear me?"

The look in Emma's eyes was deadly and whatever plans Sidney had made to come back had dissipated because he now knew the Blanchard's were not to be trifled with. He avoided making eye contact with Emma and opened the door and ran out, almost hitting a confused Mary Margaret on the way out.

Mary Margaret had been late from putting her students on the bus and she hoped Emma was still in her room waiting for her. She too knew that it was Wednesday and couldn't help but be excited to start their night together. When Mary Margaret nearly bumped into Sidney Glass, she didn't know whether she was angrier at him or more concerned about him being alone in the room with her daughter.

"Emma, are you okay?" Mary Margaret closed the distance between them and wrapped her strong arms around Emma.

"Yeah mom, why?"

Mary Margaret gave Emma a look that told the blonde she knew that Emma knew _exactly _what she was talking about.

"I came in here and I saw him snooping through your stuff, so I set him straight." Emma would've told Mary Margaret the whole story, but her mother could be a goody-goody sometimes and she knew she wouldn't approve of how bitchy Emma had been with the man.

"Did you give him the face?"

Emma looked up to see the glint in her mother's eyes, sparkling with mirth. "You know it."

Mary Margaret fist bumped her daughter which ultimately caused Emma to get the giggles, unable to speak. "Mom who *giggle* taught you *giggle* that?!" Emma couldn't contain her laughter. Sure, her mom wore adorable clothing, but _cool_ was the last thing that came to mind when she thought of her.

MM feigned annoyance and hit Emma on her shoulder. "I'll have you know that no one taught me that!" In her head though, she made a mental note to stop listening to her fourth graders when it came to things that were "hip". "Let's go home, meanie."

Emma immediately felt guilty, but when she caught the playful look in her mom's eyes she forgot all about how she'd been teasing her mom. She was just excited to get home and watch the movie she got for them.

The next morning, Emma woke up in her mother's bed, as usual. She turned her head to see her mother sleeping soundly next to her. _Good, s_he thought. It made her happy when Mary Margaret was in bed with her when she woke up, it made her feel safe. Because she always fell asleep at promptly 9:15, she never got the chance to enjoy snuggling with her mom because she was always carried to bed when she fell asleep on the movie.

Last night, she'd surprised Mary Margaret with _Snow White and the Huntsman, _a movie that Mary Margaret had been dying to see since it came out. Emma was guessing she liked it and stayed up late to finish it, because otherwise her mother would be in the kitchen making Emma breakfast. Heading to the kitchen, she decided she'd quickly make Mary Margaret breakfast before getting ready for school. She wanted to talk to Belle before the first bell and needed to get ready quickly in order to do so.

After preparing a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast for Mary Margaret with some milk, she quickly wrote Mary Margaret a note before heading upstairs to get dressed. Today was a Thursday, which meant she didn't have gym class to worry about which meant she could wear something hot to impress Ms. Mills. Looking at her closet, she had no idea what to wear. It was November 6th, which meant it was chilly in Storybrooke. Deciding on wearing her signature outfit, she grabbed her red leather jacket from her closet and her tightest pair of blue jeans. She didn't necessarily care about her shirt, so she put on a long sleeved white V-neck shirt underneath and zipped the jacket to keep the cold out. Not caring about which boots to put on, she randomly picked a brown pair of riding boots.

Thanking the gods once again for Wednesday nights, she undid her braids Mary Margaret had given her and smiled at the wavy curls that fell on her shoulders. Deciding she'd go makeup free, she grabbed her purse and headed downstairs to grab her lunch. When she heard shower water running, she exited the house, already having told Mary Margaret that she was going to leave early for school.

When Emma arrived to school, she smiled when she saw Belle waiting for her at her locker. When she looked at the time, she saw that it was already 7:30. _Shit. _That meant she only had five minutes to discuss Operation Swan Queen with Belle. Deciding not to waste any more time, she looked to Belle and gave her her full attention.

"From what you've told me, you two have gotten pretty close and that's good. I think you need to get a little closer. Yesterday was the first time she opened up to you about herself, and we both know that she can close up just as easily as she can open up. Keep getting her to trust you, and trust her too. Eat lunch with her today. Oh, and keep writing her notes but make them vague but still heartwarming, we wouldn't want her to see a concurrence between what she'd told you and what she's being told."

Emma nodded, silently thanking her friend. When the bell rang, she made her way up to Ms. Mills' room. The door was closed and the lights were off, so Emma assumed that the teacher simply hadn't arrived to school yet which meant Emma only had a few moments before she could possibly get caught. She reached in her bag and pulled out a sharpie and a red post-it note and scribbled a few words on the paper. When she heard the sound of heels clicking, she quickly stuck the note on the door and ran into the girl's bathroom.

She stood against the back of the door for what seemed like an eternity, her heart beat being the only music to her ears. She breathed in deeply, trying to slow down the rising and falling of her chest and calm her heart rate. Once she succeeded, she walked out the door and looked both ways to make sure the coast was clear and that Ms. Mills wasn't in sight. When it in fact was, she sighed in relief and headed to the commons to work on some physics homework.

The day trudged along, and Emma grew even more bored as class after class came. When it was time for sixth period, Emma was feeling more excited than she had in a while. She didn't know if it was to see Ms. Mills or to have lunch with her, but she didn't care. Emma was slightly disappointed when her teacher refused to make eye contact with her. Whenever Emma felt the woman's eyes on her, she always turned to meet her gaze but her teacher would quickly avert her eyes; so quickly that it led Emma to believe she'd been imagining things.

When the bell rang, Emma had just assumed Ms. Mills wanted to eat lunch with her, so she pulled a chair up next to the woman's desk and waited for her to come sit down.

"Miss Swan, what do you think you're doing?" Regina honestly didn't know why she was questioning Emma's presence, because she enjoyed it more than anything. She'd never admit it to the blonde, but whenever they got time alone was when Regina felt happiest, unless you counted when she read her notes she received.

"Eating," Emma responded without even looking up. She had begun to tear into her lunch, smiling at the note Mary Margaret had left her. Each day, she'd get a note from her mother on a Yellow post-it with encouraging notes depending on what day of the week it was. This week the note said:

**I know Thursday is your **_**least**_** favorite day of the week, but it's one day away from Friday when we can have another movie night **** MM x**

Emma didn't know what it was about Mary Margaret, but she always found a way to turn something negative into something positive, no matter what the situation was.

Regina wasn't going to oppose any longer, so she walked over to her desk and pulled her Vera Bradley lunch box from under her desk. Today's lunch was a chicken salad sandwich, organic potato chips, with a side of honey crisp apple slices and caramel. Usually she was much healthier than this, but she hadn't had time for much else because she had woken up late.

The two ate in silence, Emma didn't bother to say a word to Ms. Mills until the woman was finished eating and Regina did the same. As soon as they were finished though, Emma checked the time and saw they had a whole thirty minutes left to the class period. "Want to play twenty questions?"

Regina raised an eyebrow, showing Emma that she had no idea what the game was. Emma nodded; she had assumed as much. "Twenty questions is where you ask the other person a question and they answer and vice versa. It's a fun and quick way to get to know someone. I've played it with all my friends."

If Regina had been eating still, she would've choked. "F-friends?" When Emma nodded vehemently, she felt a strange tug at her heart. Dismissing the feeling, she nodded. "Alright, but you will have to ask first dear."

Emma thought for a minute and then suddenly came up with a question. "What's the best thing that's happened to you in 2014?" When Ms. Mills looked like she had come up with an answer she threw in, "And you can't say me becoming your friend."

Ms. Mills let out a rich laugh that Emma found she'd never grow tired of hearing. It warmed her insides to see this woman smile and she vowed silently to herself to spend her life trying to make her happy. "Well, someone started talking to me a while ago and leaving these mysterious notes everywhere. They're the sweetest things anyone's ever said to me. I know the person behind them probably doesn't mean them, but they make my day."

Emma smiled at that. This was _exactly _what she wanted to hear. Yes, she wrote the notes because she wanted her teacher to like her, but she also wrote them because she wanted to see Ms. Mills happy because she loved her. "That's wonderful Ms. Mills, I hope you find out who it is."

Ms. Mills smiled back at her with a smile so wide she was sure her face hurt. "Thank you dear. So, it's my turn now right?" When Emma nodded, Ms. Mills tried to think of a question that wasn't too thoughtless but also not too deep. "What is something about yourself that most people don't know?"

At the sound of that question Emma chuckled, "I have a super power, _don't _laugh. I can always tell when people are lying."

Ms. Mills narrowed her eyes at Emma. "Okay then Miss Swan, when have I lied?"

Emma looked at Ms. Mills daringly and said, "You lied when you told me your mother disowned you for wanting to be a teacher. I'm sure that may have been part of it, but you weren't being entirely truthful with me."

Brown eyes widened and Ms. Mills shifted uncomfortably. It was out of character for her to do so, but never in a million years would she have thought Emma would've guessed _that._ "I don't know what you're talking about…" She trailed off, as if that would convince either of them that she wasn't lying.

Emma looked her teacher in the eye and gave her a soft smile. "Listen its okay, you don't have to tell me why you lied or the whole truth if you don't want to. I get that you're a personal person, and there's nothing wrong with that."

Regina stared her student down, looking for any sort of dishonesty or lack of sincerity. When she didn't find any, she debated her answer before coming to a slight compromise. "Thank you, Emma. It's not that I meant to lie to you, it's just difficult to discuss. I shall tell you at a later date, alright?"

Emma nodded, and decided to ask a light question next. "Okay Ms. Mills, what is your favorite thing to do?"

Regina looked around the room and pondered that. There weren't _too _many things she did besides teach and grade, if she was being honest. "Hmm…I'd have to say cooking. I love to cook."

At this, Emma nearly shot out of her chair. "Oh. My. Gosh. I love to cook too!"

Ms. Mills chuckled at how easily excited Emma was. "Really, what do you like to cook?" Using this as her next question, she decided she would love to hear about it.

Emma only shrugged her shoulders. "I don't actually have a favorite. I'm someone who likes change. As long as I'm trying new recipes, I'm happy. I don't like making the same thing all the time. What's yours?"

"I can see that. I don't care much for repetition either. My personal favorite is lasagna…." Emma could see Ms. Mills having somewhat of an internal struggle so she waited until the older woman could get the words out herself. "Would you like to have dinner tonight, Miss Swan?"

To say Emma was happy would be an understatement. Not wanting to show just how excited she was, she wrapped her foot around the leg of her chair so that she wouldn't be tempted to get up and dance. Trying to act nonchalant, she said, "Yeah I mean, I guess."

Ms. Mills frowned at how indifferent Emma seemed. _Am I really that big of a pain to be with? _She must've said it out loud because Emma started shaking her head vehemently, trying to assure her otherwise.

"No! You're not a pain! I just was really excited and I didn't know if you'd think me weird for being excited for dinner with my English teacher."

Regina took in the insecurity that Emma was displaying. "No of course not dear, I'm excited too! Why would I think you're weird?"

_Because I'm in love with you and want to have your babies. _"No reason." Emma looked up just in time to see the famous Mills eyebrow being raised at her. Ms. Mills had even gone as far as to cross her arms, silently demanding an answer from Emma. Emma stared at the floor and mumbled, "You're my best friend."

If Regina hadn't been focusing so hard on Emma's response, she wouldn't have heard the blonde. Her heart warmed at the sound of that, _best friend. _She'd never had a best friend before, let alone a real friend that wasn't just her friend because of her wealth. "Thank you Emma, you're mine too." She said with a smile.

Emma smiled when she could tell that Ms. Mills wasn't lying. "So, about dinner, when should I come over?"

"Would you like to meet me in here after school and I'll take us to my home subsequently after? I usually eat dinner around 6:30 but if you'd rather go home—"

"No, that's fine. I'd love to spend more time with my best friend." Emma bumped shoulders with Ms. Mills and giggled at how foreign that type of contact must be to her teacher. "

The rest of the day was beyond torture for Emma. She couldn't wait to have dinner with Ms. Mills, and she also couldn't want to call Belle and tell her all about what had happened between her and her teacher. When the bell rang signaling the end of ninth period, Emma felt like she was going to bolt from the classroom. After giving her dad a quick hug and a promise to call him before bed that night, she was on her way to Ms. Mills' room.

Emma was surprised to say the least at the sight of her teacher all dressed and ready to leave. She couldn't help but smile at how adorable Ms. Mills looked in a trench coat and knitted hat. Yes, the woman was sexy in anything she wore but with her fall gear on, she looked super cute.

"Ready to go?" Regina smiled at Emma as she nodded. Following Emma out the door, she locked it and they began their journey to Regina's car.

When Emma saw Ms. Mills' car, she mumbled "Thought you had a Benz…"

Ms. Mills turned around and raised her eyebrow at Emma, "How did you know that?"

Emma could feel her face turning red, but she put on her best façade and said, "The day I ran into you at Granny's I saw you walking to your car."

Regina nodded at the blonde and opened the door for her to get into her Porsche. When Emma got in, Regina decided she'd explain. "I do have a Benz, but I have this car also. I also own an SUV for when I go out of town, but I rarely drive that."

Emma nodded, too nervous about the topic to talk anymore. She just didn't want Ms. Mills to know she'd been at her house, because then she'd know it was her writing the letters.

Ms. Mills drove them to her home and Emma found herself gaping again at the mansion she saw. "Damn."

"Language, Emma."

Not even bothering to apologize, she got out of the car and went in the house through the garage. Once Emma was inside, she couldn't help the string of gasps that followed. She became a pile of wonderment when she saw how simple yet elaborate the woman's house was. Emma took her shoes off by the door and followed Ms. Mills into the kitchen. She sat on a stool at the bar and watched the woman run around the kitchen.

Regina reached into her refrigerator and pulled out a container of apple slices and caramel. She reached into one of the drawers and got a juice box and set the snacks out in front of Emma. "Here's a snack. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to change out of these clothes." Regina exited the room and headed up to her room to change. She walked into her walk-in closet and moaned as she slipped out of her heels. She loved looking sophisticated every day, but she loved when she could take off her heels and put on yoga pants; and that she did. She slipped into a black pair of yoga pants that hugged her legs and put on an old NYU sweatshirt.

When she walked back into the kitchen, she saw Emma looking through her phone and finishing up her juice box. Emma glanced up at her teacher and Regina couldn't help but laugh at how wide the blonde's eyes grew at her casual attire.

"Are you alright Miss Swan?" She asked, with a bit of a smirk. It was obvious Emma wasn't used to seeing her teacher dressed in anything less than semi-formal clothing.

Emma nodded her head, having recovered from the sight of her teacher in comfortable clothing. She watched Ms. Mills as she pulled out some pots and pans to prepare their dinner. "Do you have any allergies, Miss Swan?"

When Emma shook her head, Regina started to prepare their lasagna. While it was in the oven, she walked around to where Emma was seated and sat down next to her. Emma took one look at her and decided she wanted to pick up on their game. "Want to continue our game of twenty questions?"

When Ms. Mills nodded, Emma thought of a question to ask. "What was your relationship like with your father?" She knew this was a personal question, but the fact that Ms. Mills always seemed to smile when she mentioned him told her it was okay to ask.

Regina thought about her answer for a moment before deciding to be completely honest. "He was very meek and soft spoken. I often found myself angry at him because he never stood up for me. Regardless of all of that, he was my best friend and my confident. I told him everything. When I told him and my mother that I was a lesbian, he supported me all the way. He gave me money whenever he could after my mother disowned me and he called me whenever he could."

Emma was a bit shocked by her teacher's admission, but she didn't let it show. She simply wrapped an arm around her teacher and rocked them. After a while, Ms. Mills broke the silence.

"Now that we're friends, are you really not seeing Graham?"

Emma laughed so hard her ribs hurt. The very idea of her seeing Graham sent her over the edge into a land of amusement. She shook her head, "Nah, you and I, Ms. Mills play for the same team."

Unlike Emma, Regina couldn't help but display her shock. She always prided herself on having an excellent gaydar, but when she met Emma Swan it'd never went off. She didn't have time to respond because the oven timer went off and it was time for her and Emma to eat.

She carefully took the dish out of the oven and placed it on the stove rack to give it time to cool off. She reached above her head and got two plates, two forks, and two knives out of her cupboard. She didn't even have to ask Emma to set the table because as soon as she gathered everything it was lifted from her hands and her student disappeared into her living room.

The two sat in silence, and the only thing that filled it was the sound of Emma's fork scraping her plate as she moaned. "Ms. Mills this is delish!"

Regina chuckled at Emma's lack of properness. "Thank you Emma."

"Are these red pepper flakes I taste?"

Regina nodded, smiling at the fact that someone noticed. She'd cooked lasagna for people and they never once noticed her secret ingredient. "I'm glad you noticed, not many do. The flakes give it a bit of a _kick._"

Emma couldn't hide the smile that grew on her face. _What about this women wasn't adorable as hell? _She shook away the thought. The _last _thing she wanted was to get caught ogling her teacher.

When they were finished eating, Emma washed the dishes despite Ms. Mills' protesting.

"You didn't have to do the dishes, Emma."

Emma shot her teacher a glare, "You made me dinner. At my house my mom and I have a rule: whoever doesn't cook does the dishes, it's only fair. If I cook, _then _you can do the dishes." Her eyes widened at what she had just implied, but she played it off as if she hadn't said it.

"Whatever you say, Miss Swan."

Feeling an ounce of courage, Emma got so close to her teacher that she invaded her personal space. She was so close to Regina that she could still faintly smell the lasagna they had for dinner, but even more strongly she could smell the natural scent that was Regina Mills, _apples. _The smell was enticing, so enticing that Emma leaned in closer. Her gaze drifted downward, from Ms. Mills' eyes to her plump lips. Unable to withstand the suspense for any longer, she leaned in and pressed her lips against Ms. Mills, daring the woman to kiss her back. It wasn't long before Regina responded by deepening the kiss, melting into the feeling of Emma's lips on hers. Weeks of waiting to feel Emma's lips against her own were poured into the kiss, along with an immense amount of passion.

Emma moaned when she felt Ms. Mills bite her lower lip and suck on it. Her hands came up to grab her teacher's face, and she moaned even louder when she felt a warm tongue swipe her bottom lip, begging for permission to enter. As soon as their tongues collided, they began to dance with one another, sending warmth to both their cores.

Finally, Regina pushed Emma away. "Emma, wait. We can't do this…the person with the letters…"

Emma quickly turned on her heel and walked out of the kitchen and by the door where she had set her bag, leaving a confused and distraught Regina in the dining room. Emma grabbed her stack of post-it notes and quickly scribbled a note, hiding it behind her back. When she came back she saw Ms. Mills sitting with her face in her hands.

Carefully, in case she resisted, she grabbed one of her teacher's hands and held it open. She placed the post-it note in it and watched her teacher carefully.

Regina didn't know what to think. She was torn between Emma and someone she didn't even know. She liked Emma a lot, but she didn't know if she was ready to give up on whoever had been writing her these notes. When she saw the red post-it note in her hand, she didn't know what was going through her mind. She thought it was a note Emma had gotten from her admirer, but she read the words on the note:

_**Regina,**_

_**It's me, Emma.**_

Emma looked at her teacher hopefully, hoping that the look she received was one of happiness and that she'd be kissed and wrapped into strong arms, but she found that her gaze wouldn't be met.

She continued to stare at her teacher for what seemed like forever, and the last words she'd ever want to hear ripped through the silence of the room.

"Get out."


	15. Chapter 15

I've got a few things to address. First, to all of you ranting about the age difference…Why _wouldn't _I cover that? Obviously that's an issue, and I'm not oblivious or stupid so of course that's going to come up. Also, you might find it to be "pervy", but this isn't a college fanfic, I didn't write Emma as 21 and Regina as 26, that's not how my story is. If you paid close enough attention, you read that Emma is 17 and Regina is 28-32, but I'll tell you now that she's 28. Sit back and enjoy the ride, I know you have questions but I'm not incompetent enough to leave out age problems or legal problems. Hmm also Emma used a handwriting different from her own on the post-its which I'm sure I mentioned. This is going to be a short chapter, but it's okay because I'm going to take a little break from writing this. (No not a hiatus).

Chapter 15

"_Get out." _

Emma didn't know what to do. There she stood, frozen in her place staring back at her teacher. The kiss had been incredible and she saw that as a chance to reveal her true identity. She hadn't thought about the consequences and she hadn't really thought about the consequences of kissing her teacher either. Right in front of her she could see her teacher's walls coming back up, she could see the _Evil Queen _staring back at her. But, she took a leap of faith, because she knew the woman underneath the façade was just confused and hurt.

Instead of leaving, Emma took a seat in the chair across from Ms. Mills. When the woman didn't turn to meet her eyes, she just decided to explain. "I know this isn't what you suspected. At first, I just left them so that you'd smile. I noticed that you'd look sad whenever we were doing classwork and you weren't grading. I wanted to make you happy, so I left you notes."

There was a pregnant pause and the two sat in silence for a while, until Regina sighed. "Emma, I think it's really sweet that you did that, but we c_an't _be together…you're only seventeen. Not even that, you're my _student _and you're going to be next year as well. It wouldn't be ethical for us to date. I will admit, I do like you, but it just can't happen."

At that, Emma could feel her heart breaking. "I wouldn't tell anyone…It could be our little secret."

Regina simply shook her head. "I'm sorry Miss Swan, but that can't happen. I appreciate all your efforts, but I just don't think it's a good idea."

Emma's heart shattered at the formal name. She knew that she was going to have to keep trying to get Ms. Mills, but doing so tonight would be impossible. Instead of arguing further, she got up and placed a soft kiss on her teacher's forehead and went to collect her things. Chancing one last glance at Ms. Mills, she headed out the door.

The cold of the night hit her skin like rain hit the ground. She walked home silently, trying to keep the tears from falling. _How had things gotten like this? _She closed her eyes and wished she could just go back to her little pink bubble when Ms. Mills was oblivious and they could tell each other everything. If she couldn't be with Ms. Mills, then she would rather be her best friend but she knew even that couldn't continue.

When Emma got home, she completely ignored Mary Margaret's questioning about where she'd been. She simply marched up to her room, slammed the door, and shrugged off her clothes and replaced them with more comfortable ones. She knew she told her dad she'd call him, but instead she crawled into her bed and cried herself to sleep.

At the mansion, Regina wasn't much different than Emma. She knew she'd done the right thing, but why did it feel so wrong? She didn't even want to think about Emma anymore, or the fact that she'd been convinced a colleague was sending her secret notes, she just wanted to go to sleep, and that she did.


	16. Chapter 16

Hey guys! Did you miss me? I missed you guys, and I missed this story too. I stepped away because the reviews irritated me, but that's over with. Trigger Warning? I hardly consider this chapter a trigger but if you're sensitive to neglecting eating (in a non-anorexic way), don't read I guess. Anyway, enjoy x

Chapter 16

After Regina rejected Emma, things between the two began to go even more downhill, if possible. At first, class went from being painfully awkward to being infuriating to Emma. Each day, Regina wouldn't make eye contact with Emma, no matter how hard Emma tried. Whenever Emma tried to find a reason to stay after and talk to Regina, the woman would often leave the room whenever class ended and wouldn't reappear until she had another class to teach.

For three weeks, Emma struggled with herself. She and Belle were still hopeful, but anyone who knew Emma knew that she hadn't been the same ever since. She and Mary Margaret still had their Wednesday night movie nights, but Mary Margaret had begun to notice that it wasn't the same. Emma didn't cuddle with her anymore or eat breakfast with her. Mary Margaret wasn't the only person to notice, Emma's friends did too. She still spoke to Belle, but she hardly ever showed up at lunch. After a class with Regina who was ignoring her, she would go sit in the gym locker room where she knew no one would find her. Even David noticed, but he knew Emma would come to him if it was really important so he didn't press it.

It's not like Emma was depressed, she just didn't know what to do about Ms. Mills. She loved her, and didn't know what to do to get her to see that. She knew it'd be a big risk to be together, but wasn't she worth the risk? She was willing to take it for Ms. Mills, but why wasn't she willing to take it for her?

Emma did this same routine for three miserable weeks; three weeks of being down in the dumps, trying to get the woman of her dreams to at least look at her and she'd gotten nothing.

Today was the day Emma Swan was sure she was going to get the woman of her dreams. Ms. Mills may not have been willing to fight for her, but Emma was sure ready to fight for her. After talking to Belle, Emma made a decision. It could be considered spur-of-the-moment, but she felt it was beneficial to both her and Ms. Mills.

Today, Emma stood in front of the massive white mansion that belonged to her English teacher. She'd been standing there for approximately ten minutes, but she had yet to muster the courage to knock on the door. She could feel warm sweat gathering on her hands, and the lump in her throat she'd been trying to get rid of was only a reminder of how nervous she was. Wiping her palms on her leggings, she lifted her hand to knock on the door, but before she could the door opened for Emma to see her teacher, looking as beautiful as ever.

She took in the sight of her teacher. It was a Saturday, yet Ms. Mills still managed to look like a goddess. The woman was dressed in a navy blue sleeveless dress, which fell just above tanned, toned knees. Emma had to suppress the urge to moan when her eyes traveled up to her teacher's hips. Each time she saw the woman, she couldn't believe that a body that perfect existed. It amazed her how a woman could make such a modest dress look so incredibly sexy.

By the time Emma's eyes met Ms. Mills', Emma could see her teacher had her hand on her hips and was holding the door, signaling that it was going to be closed if Emma didn't say something. When Emma didn't say anything, she sighed impatiently.

"Miss Swan, are you going to gawk at me for the rest of forever or are you going to inform me as to why you're at my house on a Saturday afternoon? Which, might I add is highly inappropriate?"

Emma shifted awkwardly in her stance. She hadn't exactly thought through how she was going to win Ms. Mills over, but she saw this was clearly her only chance she had, and she was going to make the best of it. "May I come in, Ms. Mills?" She could see her teacher having an internal battle with herself, and she knew she may be denied, so she quickly scurried into the house before her teacher could object. Still remembering the house from when she was there before, she took her shoes off and put her bag where she had placed it the last time. She then walked past Ms. Mills and went straight into the woman's study to wait for her so they could talk, ignoring the hard glare that was shot her way.

Regina honestly didn't know what had come over her. Yes, she'd been upset these past few weeks—_devastated r_eally, but she was forcing herself not to give into her desires, which was something her mother had taught her how to do _very _well. But when that certain blonde came to her home, she tried to be strong and stand firm, but once Emma weaseled her way into her home she was at a loss for words.

Despite the unorthodoxy of this impromptu visit, she had to admit she was curious about what Emma had to say. She'd made it very clear that it was undoubtedly out of the question to even entertain the idea of the two of them being in a relationship, so _why was she here?_

Grabbing a juice box out of her fridge and pouring herself a glass of apple cider, she walked into her office to find Emma sitting in one of the chairs. She placed the drinks down on the table and sat in one of her plush chairs. Crossing her legs, she folded her hands and rested them on her knee. Her eyes looked over Emma's body and she could feel her heart sinking. Emma had clearly lost weight, the events between them having taken a toll on her. She looked fragile, as if she hadn't eaten in days and the messiness of her hair and outfit didn't help her appearance.

Immediately, all Regina could feel was guilt. As even more time passed that she stared at Emma, she began to feel obligated to make it all better. She wanted to scoop the tiny-framed girl into her arms and hold her closely and shower her in kisses. Everything in her wanted to cuddle with Emma and make the blonde's world right again, but she couldn't let herself do that.

Instead, she cautiously leaned forward and placed a hand on the girl's knee, gaining her attention.

Emma couldn't help but feel hopeful when she felt Ms. Mills' hand on her knee. She'd heard her enter the room, but because it was usually her who initiated discussions between the two of them, she had waited to hear Ms. Mills start. Her eyes traveled upward and met the concerned gaze of her teacher. _Why would she be concerned? _Her face contorted in confusion as she tried to figure out what was wrong with her teacher. "Ms. Mills, is everything alright?"

Regina nodded as she watched Emma even more carefully. The more she studied Emma, the more she found the blonde lacked her usual jubilant aura she usually had. "Of course, Miss Swan. May I ask you something?" Emma nodded. "Have you been eating?"

Emma shifted uncomfortably in her chair. It wasn't like she'd been intentionally starved herself, but there had been more pressing matters than eating. In the mornings, she hadn't wanted to stay home because Mary Margaret would be asking her personal questions and trying to psychoanalyze her, and she didn't go to lunch and she usually picked at her dinner. She'd been so upset about Ms. Mills that she had literally _forgotten _to eat. She was forced to look into the eyes of her teacher when she felt a gentle squeeze on her thigh.

Emma watched as Ms. Mills looked at her, her eyes much softer than they'd been just before. The brown globes looked like endless spheres of honey, just reaching out to comfort her. She felt at home; she felt safe and even though she wasn't in the arms of her teacher, she felt just as safe when Ms. Mills looked at her like that.

"Emma, no matter what happens between us, I need you to take care of yourself, okay? I don't care who you meet, they are _never _worth your own well-being, do you understand me?"

The love and care in her eyes was evident and Emma had to swallow the lump in her throat to keep from crying. All the doubts she had about her teacher loving her or caring about her had been allayed because now she knew that Ms. Mills at least cared about her. Nodding her head, she watched in confusion at the older woman got up and abruptly left the room. When she saw her teacher come back with a plate, it dawned on her that she'd been silly not to think Ms. Mills wouldn't try to get her to eat.

"Eat."

Giving her teacher one last glance, she nodded and began to slowly eat the yogurt and fruit salad that her teacher had put out in front of her. She tried not to moan in appreciation as the taste of bananas hit her tongue; her favorite. She bit back a smile, knowing that most, if not all fruit salads didn't contain bananas which meant that Ms. Mills must've remembered that Emma's favorite fruit is bananas.

Regina couldn't help but watch Emma as she carefully consumed the food. She could tell it'd been a while since Emma had eaten by how slowly Emma was eating. She would never forget how Emma scarfed down food as if it was her first meal in years. It was one of the things she loved about Emma—it was adorable. _What? Adorable? _Shaking her head, she put on a smile at empty plate and yogurt bowl in front of her student. She silently thanked whatever higher power there was for yet another opportunity to delay the inevitable and put the garbage in the trashcan.

"Thank you Ms. Mills, you didn't have to feed me."

Regina simply shook her head and scoffed, "Yes Miss Swan, I was just going to let you starve because that's an idiosyncrasy of mine."

Emma nearly shivered at the statement that was laced in sarcasm. She refused to look up because she knew a glare was being sent her way. Instead of upsetting her teacher more, she moved to a different subject. "Can we talk now?"

If Regina hadn't been trained to not display discomfort, she would've jumped out of her chair and ran in the opposite direction. However, that was not an option. Bracing herself, she gave Emma a curt nod and waited for Emma to speak. At first, she thought this was going to be about something else, but she just knew this visit was anything _but _platonic.

"Ms. Mills, I know how you're feeling. You must feel devastated because someone who had been sending you these flattering letters is your student, not a colleague. I know you can lose your job." Emma took a deep breath before continuing, "I know you've thought about us, because I have too but each time you do, you push the thought from your head because it's inappropriate. _I get it._"

Emma reached forward and grabbed Ms. Mills' hand, smiling slightly when her teacher didn't pull away. "I know you're scared, because I am. You're the first person I've ever wanted a long-term relationship with. Regina, you're wonderful. I know you grew up thinking you only mattered when you pleased your mom, but I promise you're so much more than that. You're worth the world and I wish you'd give me a chance to show you that." Emma's thumb rubbed soothing circles along the contour of Regina's tan skin.

Regina honestly didn't know what to say. She'd expected Emma to try to win her over _somehow, _but she hadn't expected the blonde to read her mind and tell her exactly what she'd been feeling. She looked up to meet teary green eyes, and immediately wiped the tears out of the blonde's eyes. She could feel herself tearing up and she cursed herself for letting someone have such a large impact on herself. She thought Emma was finished and was ready to dissolve things again when she heard Emma begin to speak again.

"Regina, I know it's hard for you, but it's hard for me too. You were my best friend, and now you're not anymore. _I miss you._" Warm tears slid down the blonde's face when she thought about how awful of a time she'd been having lately. Being unable to speak to Regina for three weeks was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do besides forgive Mary Margaret for giving her away.

Emma removed her hand from Regina's and began to compose herself. "Although I want us to be together, I have some things to tell you. When I'm finished, you can reject me if you still don't want to be with me and I'll leave you alone for good." Seeing Regina's nod, she took a deep breath and blew a stray hair out of her face.

"I applied to Harvard University for early action. I won't know for another week if I got in or not, but if I did get in, you won't have me senior year, only for the rest of this year. I don't know if that changes anything for you, but it does for me. I know it's still a risk and that you still could be fired, but Regina…" Emma paused as she thought about her next words. "Regina I love you."

Regina's neck snapped as her head moved upward so that her eyes could meet Emma's. _She loves me? _She could only watch in admiration when Emma got out of her chair to sit on her lap. Much too enthralled with the blonde's speech, she wasn't going to tell her how inappropriate this was. "I love you so much Regina, and I want to spend the rest of my life showing you that. I really believe you got the short end of the stick in life and weren't around the right people, so you don't know how special you are but if you just let me—"

Emma was cut off by a searing kiss which literally took her breath away. Plump, soft lips attacked her own viciously, and Emma could only moan as she felt their bodies mold together. She groaned as she felt Regina bite her lip and suck on it, releasing it with a _pop. _Forcing her tongue into the older woman's mouth, she moaned even louder when she felt a warm, slick tongue wrestle with her own. Pale hands slid down to cup firm breasts and knead them. Regina let out a moan and reveled in the feeling of the blonde's hands on one of the most intimate parts of her body.

The two continued to passionately kiss until Regina gently pushed Emma away. The look in her eyes told Emma that she was perhaps going to reject her, and Emma had to use every ounce of strength she possessed to keep the disappointment from showing.

Brown eyes met green, and Regina smiled, and this time it reached her eyes. She leaned in and pressed her lips to Emma's, enjoying the feeling of her lips against her own, humming. Breaking the kiss, she looked into Emma's eyes and whispered four words that Emma wouldn't have heard if the room hadn't been completely silent.

"_I love you too." _


	17. Chapter 17

Hey! Thank you so much for your positive reviews! I love when I make you guys happy and I'm happy Chapter 16 did. I'll admit, I had absolutely no idea where I'm going with this so…bear with me. Enjoy x

Chapter 17

When that Monday came around, Emma couldn't help but be excited to see Regina. They'd texted a bit over the weekend, but not much because the teacher had some grading to do. Emma felt badly about how she'd treated her friends, so she took the opportunity to make Mary Margaret breakfast. Once she set both their plates on the table, she waited for mother to enter the room.

Mary Margaret walked into the kitchen, fully prepared for Emma to turn down the breakfast she was going to make, but bit back a smile when saw Emma sitting at the kitchen table with hot breakfast on the table. "Emma…what's this for?" She didn't know what she could've done between Friday and now to deserve breakfast from Emma who'd been giving her the cold shoulder for the past month.

Emma looked at Mary Margaret earnestly, hoping her mom could see the remorse evident in her eyes. "It's an apology breakfast and a step towards normalcy, sort of. I just wanted to apologize for being difficult this past month." Emma smiled when she saw her mother sit down and take a bite out of the crunchy bacon on her plate.

Mary Margaret reached across the table and grabbed Emma's hand in her own, squeezing it. "It's okay sweetheart. Next time, just tell me what's going on, okay?"

Emma quickly nodded. She had to admit she was happy that the next time she would keep something from her mom wouldn't be that she was in love with her teacher. She sat at the table and waited for her mother to ask questions, like she always did.

"So Emma," _There it is. _"What were you so sad about? I understand that you're a teenager and you are going through a lot and like your privacy, but I care about you and I need you to know that you can tell me anything. When you came out to me, I told you something, remember what I said?"

Emma thought back to that day and smiled. She was grateful to have such an accepting and understanding mother. Except, when she thought about it she couldn't exactly remember what her mother told her no matter how hard she tried to recall the memory. Shaking her head no, she eagerly waited for her mother to tell her.

"I said that I love you Emma and that I wanted you to know that if there's anything you want to tell me, you can tell me. I said I didn't want you to think for one minute that you couldn't come to me about something, no matter how embarrassing or taboo."

Emma looked into the green eyes that were so very similar to her own and saw nothing but love and honesty. It was tempting, the want to tell her mom about Regina, but she knew it was much too soon to do that. Shaking her head, she squeezed her mother's hand. "I love you mom, but I think this is something I should keep to myself for now. When the time is right, you'll know."

Mary Margaret nodded her head. She was somewhat disappointed that there was something keeping Emma from telling her, but she trusted her daughter and wasn't going to pry or make her uncomfortable due to her own desire to know.

Emma got up and took their dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Kissing her mother goodbye, she headed out the door to walk to school. She had gotten used to walking to school, and she enjoyed the time to herself as it provided a mind cleanse and helped her clear her head. On the walk, she thought about seeing Regina and couldn't help but be excited to see her. They hadn't clarified what they were yet, but she thought it was safe to say they were together.

Emma thought back to the post-it notes phase of their relationship and couldn't help but smile at how happy she would get when she saw Regina smile after receiving a note. Deciding to carry the tradition, she pulled a red post-it out of her bag. Fishing a pen out of her bag as well, she pondered what to write on the note. Before, she'd written Hemingway quotes or quotes about apples or something else she knew Regina liked, but now she had no idea what to write.

Scribbling the most intelligently romantic thing she could at 7 in the morning, she shoved the note back in her pocket and let out a squeal as she approached the doors of the school. When she walked in, she found Belle waiting for her at her locker as always.

"Hey Belle!" Emma wrapped her arms around her friend, pulling her in for a hug. It had only been two days since she'd seen her, but she was always excited to see her best friend.

"Hello Emma, how was your weekend?"

Emma's smile only grew, never wavering as she thought about her weekend and all the things that had happened with Regina. "It was good, what about yours?"

Belle made a face. "It was alright, I had to help my parents clean the basement which meant I didn't finish the book I was reading until later that night which sucked."

Emma laughed at the way Belle talked about anything other than reading. If anything ever came between Belle and her reading she was scary. "I'm sorry helping your poor old parents is an inconvenience."

Belle gave Emma a fake glare and the two burst into laughter. As they calmed down, Belle saw this as the perfect opportunity to pry into Emma's love life. "So Emma, tell me about your new girlfriend. Who was it again?"

Emma shook her head bemusedly. "We kissed and said I love you's." She said it so quietly that Belle might've missed it if they hadn't been so close.

"Oh my gosh! Are you two together?"

Emma nodded and was grateful this wasn't Ruby or Katherine she was talking to. Belle had a certain tranquility about herself that her two other friends lacked.

"I'm so happy for you! I can't believe it, Operation Swan Queen was a success!"

Emma gave her a smug look. "For such a _frivolous nickname _you sure seem to have taken a liking to it, haven't you Belle?" Emma laughed as her cheeks turned bright red but groaned when the first bell went off. _Gym. _

It _wasn't_ until sixth period that Emma got to see Regina. When she arrived in the classroom, she noticed that Regina wasn't in the room yet, which was strange because she was always on time. Emma discreetly placed the red sticky note on her teacher's monitor and sat down at her desk next to Killian and waited patiently for Regina to arrive.

Emma took out her notebook and wrote notes to herself in Spanish. She didn't even hear when her teacher walked into the classroom.

Regina Mills walked into the classroom, slightly disheveled. She had forgotten about her meeting with the rest of the English department and it had ran later than she expected. When she walked into her classroom, she was pleased to see that her students were in fact still in the room and hadn't left.

"Goodmorning class!" She tried to sound enthusiastic, but she knew she was failing. Deciding to just be her usual stern self, she instructed the class to put away any electronics or irrelevant activities. When Emma continued to doodle or write in her notebook, Regina walked across the room and politely tapped her on the shoulder, ignoring the snickers coming from other kids.

"Miss Swan, were you listening to what I just said?"

Confusion was written all over Emma's features. _Why was Regina doing this? _"Uh…uh…no." She stuttered, trying to find some sort of confidence within herself.

Regina shook her head. "Not good enough Miss Swan. Put the book away or it's mine." She turned on her heel and walked back up to the front of the room to begin the lesson, leaving a confused Emma in her wake.

Emma honestly had no idea why Regina would reprimand her, but the words sent a wave of pleasure straight to her core. She could tell that she was going to love angry sex with Regina because the woman was the sexiest in the world when angry.

"_Miss Swan."_

Emma snapped out of her reverie at the stern sound of her teacher's voice. "Yes?"

If Regina could literally shoot daggers her way Emma would've died long ago. "Miss Swan, pay attention. I'm not going to ask you again."

Hearing the chortles from the class, Emma's face turned bright red. She forced herself to pay attention for the rest of the class period.

When class was over, she was too angry at Regina to stay behind and ask her what had happened. Just as she was about to exit the room, she heard Regina softly call her name. Emma claimed a vacant desk and watched as Regina went to close the door.

While doing so, Emma took in the beauty of the woman in front of her. She couldn't help but be in awe of the way Regina's hair was done. It wasn't down like usual, it was up in a flawless bun, not a stray hair in sight. Emma nearly gasped when she looked at the woman's outfit. Regina was wearing a red blazer that matched her lipstick. Underneath, she wore a tight black dress that hugged her waist and came down to just above her knees. On her feet were fuck-me-boots with heels as high as a skyscraper.

Regina walked back to her desk both gracefully and sexily and sat in her chair.

Emma was in love with how sexy Regina could be, but she was still angry with how Regina had treated her. Clearing her throat, she spat, "You wanted to see me?"

Regina was taken aback by how bitter Emma sounded. Reaching forward, she grabbed Emma's hand and rubbed her thumb on smooth skin, grateful that the blonde hadn't pulled away. "I'm sorry."

Emma shook head. "_Not good enough Regina." _She mocked.

Regina felt the jab penetrate her heart. _I deserved that. _"I'm sorry Emma, but I can't give you any special treatment. I treated you how I treat all my other students when they don't pay attention. If I were nicer to you or ignored your behavior, it'd raise too many questions. I'm sorry I upset you though."

Emma considered Regina's words and nodded. They made sense, she didn't want Regina to get caught and lose her job. Nodding her head, she squeezed Regina's hand to let the brunette know that they were okay.

Looking at the clock, Emma saw there were still 36 minutes left to her lunch period, so she could join her friends if she wanted. Taking one look at Regina, she sent Belle a text telling her she wouldn't be coming down to lunch.

"Is it okay if I eat lunch with you?"

Regina couldn't believe the vulnerability she heard in Emma's voice. _How could I ever say no? _She smiled widely, reaching her eyes and nodded her head. "I would love it if you stayed."

Emma smiled back, and reached into her bag to get her lunch. "Last night for dinner I tried a new dish, a Puerto Rican dish which just so happens to be my girlfriend's favorite." She paused, not sure if the use of the word girlfriend was too presumptuous. When she felt Regina squeeze her hand, she gained confidence. "I was stalking her website and I read that it was her favorite and I decided to make it."

Regina looked in awe as she watched Emma pull out a large container of what was her favorite Puerto Rican dish. She could tell it was going to be delicious because it smelled just like how her father used to make it. _Pollo en Fricase. _Her father would make it once a week for her. Her mother always complained that it was fattening and superfluous, but he would always make it anyway. Regina looked up at Emma with tears in her eyes. "Emma, I can't believe you did this for me."

Emma got out of her seat and stood in front of Regina, her stomach pressing into the woman's cleavage. She leaned forward and captured the older woman's lips in her own, reveling in the feeling of such soft, plump lips against her own. When Regina started to deepen the kiss, Emma broke it, causing the older woman to pout uncharacteristically, which Emma found adorable.

"Regina, I would travel an astronomical unit and back for you."

Regina couldn't help but chuckle at how big of a nerd her girlfriend was. When Emma served them food, she let out a moan as she tasted the chicken. "Emma, ¡Esta comida es deliciosa!" **[Emma, this meal is delicious!]**

Emma couldn't help but moan as she heard the Spanish roll off of her girlfriend's tongue. "Gracias, Regina. Estoy contenta que la goces." **[Thank you, Regina. I am happy you enjoy it.]**

The two continued to eat in silence, exchanging light conversation until they finished their meals. When Emma was packing up, Regina placed a hand on the blonde's arm and Emma gave her a quizzical look. "Emma, would you like to join me for dinner tonight?"

Thinking about her schedule, she nodded her head eagerly. "Of course! I don't have anything planned for tonight. Let me text my mom and ask her if its okay first though."

Emma quickly texted Mary Margaret and received an almost instantaneous response that it'd be okay if she had dinner at Belle's. _Hehehe. _

"She said it was alright."

Regina smiled and mentally tried to figure out what she would make for them. She had other dishes she liked to make, but lasagna was the only one she was a pro at. Deciding she'd think of one later, she cringed when the bell ring.

Both women looked at each other with sad eyes, unhappy to have to part with one another. Regina grabbed Emma's face in her hands and pulled the blonde in for a passionate, but ephemeral kiss. Groaning when Regina pulled back, Emma turned on her heel as she turned to leave the room.

"Emma?"

"Yes?"

"Meet me at my car."

Nodding, she fought back a smile as she thought about dinner with her favorite woman in the world.


	18. Chapter 18

Hey guys, I suck. I don't know how I let this story become dusty, I love writing it! Well, I'm back now and my regular updates will be back again, promise. I'm not quite finished with this story, so I see maybe 5-10 chapters left and a sequel. Does that sound good? Enjoy! x

Chapter 18

The day couldn't end fast enough for Emma. As much as she loved her other classes, she just couldn't sit still. Her teachers would reprimand her and tell her to focus and pay attention, but she just couldn't. Even in Spanish class, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to the woman that had stolen her heart in less than three months. She ached to see Regina. During AP Physics, she expertly dodged the looks of curiosity that came from her father. When the bell rang, she was the first to leave the classroom, not even offering her dad a goodbye hug.

Emma was so anxious that she couldn't contain her energy. She was so nervous that she nearly ran all the way to Regina's car. She sighed contently as she felt the brisk air come in contact with her skin. It'd been quite some time since she'd went for a run, and she made a mental note to do so again sometime. Due to how busy Emma was, she didn't spend a lot of time outside. There was the walk from her school to Mary Margaret's school, but the schools were right next to each other and it didn't give Emma the fulfillment that being outside right now could give her.

She let the cold air consume her, and couldn't help but spin as she saw snow start to pour. Bringing out her inner child, she stuck her tongue out to catch a snowflake. She was so intrigued and focused on catching a snowflake that she lost her balance and nearly tumbled to the ground. Before she could scream, she felt firm arms catch her and stand her upright.

Emma shot a look of gratitude towards her girlfriend and offered her a sheepish smile. Not only had she been caught acting like a five year old, but she'd almost face planted right in front of the woman she wanted to impress.

"It wasn't what it looked like…" Emma trailed off. She knew it was exactly what it looked like, but maybe Regina hadn't seen everything. When she got a smirk and a raised eyebrow in response, she knew that lying would be futile.

"Miss Swan, were you not just frolicking about like a three year old child who has just seen snow for the first time?" Regina couldn't bite back the smile that was slowly forming on her features. She herself couldn't get enough of childish Emma, but she would never tell the blonde that.

Emma looked at the ground, suddenly finding her shoes very interesting. "Yes…"

Regina lightly chuckled at how embarrassed Emma was. "Get in the car, cutie pie." She tried to keep the red from flooding her cheeks at her impromptu nickname for Emma, but she failed.

Emma however simply gave Regina a kiss on the cheek, and sighed in contentment as her girlfriend sped off.

The journey to Regina's house wasn't long, but it wasn't short. In the beginning, Emma simply stared out the window, getting to see parts of Storybrooke she'd never had the opportunity of seeing before. What she and Regina did not notice was that their hands had subconsciously shifted towards each other's. Their hands lay in between the two of them, intermingled.

When the façade of the perfect mansion owned by the older woman came into view, Emma couldn't help but feel her heart start to pound. She was so excited at the idea of spending multiple hours with her girlfriend that she couldn't stop her leg from bouncing. When Regina pulled into the garage, she opened the door with her free hand to get out of the car, but felt a slight resistance when she tried to exit. Her eyes ventured downward to the still intertwined hands of her and her girlfriend.

Smiling to themselves, the two women unlaced their hands and got out of the car. Regina unlocked her door for Emma, and went in behind her. Once they got inside, Emma stood there like a lost puppy.

"Emma, you know where you usually put your things. Make yourself at home sweetheart."

Nodding, Emma went to put her things in their usual place. When she was finished, she heard Regina say that she was going to change into more comfortable clothing and that she'd be down in a bit. Emma made her way into the kitchen and was going to help herself to Regina's food, but she knew that Regina secretly liked waiting on her. She'd never tell her that she knew, but it warmed her heart to know that Regina liked taking care of her.

Emma sat on the stool at the kitchen bar and waited for her girlfriend. Bored, she began spinning on the chair and singing The Cup Song from Pitch Perfect. It was Mary Margaret's favorite song, and she couldn't help but sing it as she spun. She was so into the song that she hopped off the chair and grabbed a spoon from one of the drawers and began to pretend she was Anna Kendrick. She was going to grab some of Regina's cups but 1) She had no idea where they were and 2) She happened to open her eyes and noticed Regina standing there watching her.

"Oh shit!" Emma jumped back, hitting her back on the kitchen counter. She winced as the wooden spoon tumbled to the ground with a loud thud. Hand on her chest, she glared at her girlfriend who couldn't hold back her laughter at the situation. "Regina Amantine Mills shut your mouth this instant!"

All hints or remnants of laughter left Regina's face as she glared at Emma so hard that Emma was sure she was going to melt under her gaze. "Miss Swan, how did you find out my middle name?"

Emma's cheeky smirk reappeared once again as she looked Regina in the eye. She simply shook her head at her teacher. "_Tsk Tsk, _Regina you should know I never site my sources."

Regina couldn't help but laugh. It was true, if Emma ever got points off on an assignment it was because she had forgotten her parenthetical citation. Deciding to let it go, she moved to the kitchen to start dinner. She decided she'd made lemon chicken, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. She figured apple turnovers for dessert was a good way to coax her girlfriend into eating her vegetables.

Half an hour later, Emma and Regina were lightly chatting about various topics. After Regina refused to let Emma help her with dinner, Emma had decided to keep her girlfriend company. Emma was trying to keep up with conversation, but she found she couldn't stop staring at Regina's ass.

Her ass was clad in a pair of skin tight yoga pants, and a blue tank top that didn't cover her bottom. Each time Regina went to put something in the refrigerator, Emma couldn't help but sneak a glance at her girlfriend's backside. When Regina wasn't looking, Emma purposefully threw the spoon she'd been playing with just far enough that she'd be able to stare.

Regina however knew exactly what her girlfriend was doing. She didn't want to let Emma know that she knew, so when she went to pick it up, she purposefully turned sideways. She almost died of laughter at the look of disappointment on the blonde's face when she returned her spoon to her.

"Regina!" Emma couldn't hold back the groan of frustration. She was so turned on by her girlfriend's body and so embarrassed that she wasn't able to control herself. _Does this happen to everyone? _

Regina knew all too well what Emma must've been feeling. Putting the chicken in the oven for the next twenty minutes, she decided it'd be safe to venture into the living room with Emma until the oven beeped. She grabbed the still pouting blonde's hand and led her into the living room where Regina sat on the couch—purposefully a great distance from Emma. She felt her insides warm when she saw Emma scoot closer to her, and even warmer when Emma put her legs on top of hers.

"Emma, are you alright?"

Emma's gaze was cast downward, and she simply shook her head.

Regina loved making fun of Emma, but she was starting to get the sense that Emma either thought her feelings were unrequited or unnatural…and that was _so _not the case. "Emma…" Regina trailed off, gently tugging on the blonde's chin so that their eyes could meet each other's. "What's going through your head right now, dear?"

Emma shook her head once again. _If Regina knew what I thought of her everyday she'd never look at me the same again. _

Regina knew trying to get Emma to admit her feelings so easily was near impossible. So instead, she decided to show her that she felt the same. Reaching down, Regina pulled Emma's hands into hers and clasped them together, giving the blonde's a gentle squeeze for comfort. When Emma's eyes met her own, she leaned in and pressed their lips together, waiting for the blonde to reciprocate.

Soon, Emma moved her lips against Regina's, moaning at the feeling of such plump, juicy lips against her own. When she thought the kiss couldn't get any better, she felt Regina's hot tongue begging for entrance. Acquiescing, she moaned even louder at the feeling of their tongues dancing with each other's.

With encouragement, Emma let her hands roam to other parts of Regina's body, her hand instinctively going to the body part of Regina that she loved so much. Gripping the woman's ass, she kneaded the flesh skillfully, eliciting a moan from Regina.

"Mmm Emma…"

Gaining confidence, Emma broke the kiss and planted several open mouthed kisses along Regina's jawline and let her mouth settle on the brunette's neck. She began to lick and carefully suck the flesh, her girlfriend's moan sending waves of pleasure straight to her core. Feeling more daring, she bit her girlfriend's neck, causing a squeal to escape the mouth of her usually composed teacher. Soothing the pain by sucking it away, she repeated the action until she Regina Mills was putty.

Letting her hands roam south, she was pleased to find that Regina wasn't wearing a bra. Rekindling their passionate kiss, she fondled the brunette's breasts through the shirt.

Regina moaned into the blonde's mouth and decided that Emma deserved as much pleasure as she could give her. Looking into green eyes for permission to venture under her shirt, she received an eager nod from her girlfriend and only then did she continue. Skilled hands traveled up pale flesh and found the blonde's perfectly rounded breasts.

Regina fondled Emma's nipples for some time, enjoying the sound of her girlfriend's moans. Seeing that Emma was still sitting up, she gently pushed her back so that her back was on the couch. Straddling her girlfriend, she slid down Emma's body until her face was perpendicular to her breasts. Slowly pulling up Emma's shirt, she kissed various areas of the blonde's toned abdomen, eliciting moans from the blonde.

Emma reached her hand down and firmly grabbed Regina's head, hovering it above one of her breasts. "Regina, _please._"

Smirking at Emma's desperation, she poked out her tongue and swirled it along the tip of Emma's nipple and then took it into her mouth, releasing it with a pop.

Emma's hips bucked in response. "Regina….again please." She moaned. Right now she was in heaven and if this was what foreplay was like, she couldn't wait for the real thing.

Regina palmed Emma's other breast and began to suck on the one closest to her whilst fondling the other. Pleased by Emma's moans, she released Emma's nipple from her mouth and latched onto the blonde's neck.

Emma was in heaven. The feeling of her girlfriend's hot tongue was driving her crazy in such a good way. She felt like she couldn't breathe, she felt like she was in another universe. When she knew Regina wasn't paying attention, she let a hand drift downward into her underwear. Rubbing her clit, she moaned even louder at the combined pleasure of Regina sucking her neck and the delicious friction from rubbing the erect bud.

"Yes…Regina yes…I'm so close…"

That statement had Regina questioning whether she was really that good or if Emma was doing something else. She looked up at the blonde and saw that her eyes were closed. Her eyes followed the blonde's arm and saw that her hand was definitely in her pants, and from the motion underneath, she was pleasing herself. Feeling herself become even wetter, she went back to pleasing Emma, wanting the blonde to come if she so pleased.

The harder Regina sucked, the faster Emma's rubbing became. "Regina! Fuck! I'm coming!"

The blonde's hips arched off the couch and she saw stars. Yes, she'd had orgasms before, but none had been this great. She moaned as she felt the searing white pleasure flood her brain with endorphins.

When she came down from her high, Regina gave her a soft kiss on the lips before raising herself off of Emma.

Emma looked at the brunette confusingly, wondering where she was going. "Babe, where are you going?"

"It's almost time for the chicken to come out dear. Do go upstairs and wash up for dinner. My room is the second door on your right, help yourself to my wardrobe and master bathroom."

Emma went upstairs to get changed and couldn't help but stare at the beauty and regality that was Regina Mills' room. A large, king-sized bed in the center of the room, with a fireplace in the front of the room and a giant flat screen television. Emma could tell Regina hardly ever watched t.v. due to the massive book shelf that was built into the wall next to the bed. She moved back the curtain to see a beautiful windows, which she soon discovered were doors to a balcony which overlooked Storybrooke. As if the room couldn't get more beautiful, she entered the master bathroom. She nearly died when she took in the Jacuzzi bathtub and the shower that had three different showerheads.

When she saw the him and her's sink, she couldn't help but think of her and Regina's future. _Will we ever share this bathroom together? I hope so, _she thought. A smile graced her face at the thought of living with Regina.

After cleaning herself up, she looked through Regina's walk-in closet to find clothing. When she went inside, she was _not _prepared for what she saw. Regina must've had over two hundred pairs of heels alone! There was an endless supply of dresses, pant suits, and blazers in the room with very little casual things in sight. She was just about to give up when she saw a pair of grey leggings laying on a chair in the closet and a neon sweatshirt. Thanking Regina for changing her mind about what to wear, she quickly slipped on the clothing and ventured downstairs, following the smell of the food.

When she reached the kitchen, she noticed that Regina was already in the dining room, waiting for her return. Upon entering the room, Emma noticed Regina hadn't begun eating yet. "Aw Gina, you waited for me?"

Glaring at the blonde's nickname, Regina nodded. "What is a meal without Emma Swan?" She said it as sarcastically as she could, but she really meant it. Whenever Emma joined her for dinner, it was a reminder that she wasn't alone and didn't have to spend the rest of her life by herself because someone wanted her.

Emma didn't want to ruin the moment, but she caught the seriousness of the brunette's words. She wordlessly pulled Regina's hand into her own, and smiled at her girlfriend. "I love you Regina Mills."

Regina reached up to wipe a stray tear from her eye as she took in what Emma had just said. No matter how many times Emma told her that she loved her, she would never get tired of hearing it. "I love you too, Emma Swan."

Even for that moment, they felt like a family and they were.


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello lovelies! I've missed y'all and this story! I'm sorry this update is so late, I've been in Florida soaking up the sun! I promise updates will be much more regular. The flashback story included in this chapter will perhaps be turned into a multi-chapter fanfic within this universe. Would you all like that? Let me know. This is my longest chapter yet, so…Enjoy x**

Chapter 19

It was the Saturday before Christmas, and the Blanchard family was at the mall. Emma had bought and made Regina's and Mary Margaret's presents on her own time, so she was at the mall shopping for presents for her friends and her dad with her mom. Usually, Emma hated shopping for her mother, because usually the older brunette would make her try on every outfit in the store and insist on taking pictures.

Today though, they were shopping for others and Emma found that there was no one better at picking out gifts than Mary Margaret herself. Because over time Mary Margaret had met all of Emma's friends or heard about them, she knew just what they'd appreciate. She had just gotten all her friends presents for their Secret Santa that would take place on the following Wednesday, and now all she needed to do was find a present for her dad. The two stood in the men's department in JCPenney looking for something to get David.

Mary Margaret watched as Emma looked around at everything, trying to find something to get her dad. She knew exactly what he could use and couldn't, but by saying so she'd be forced to deal with the fact that she missed him dearly every day. Yes, Emma was more than enough, but on the nights when Emma didn't cuddle with her, she longed for David. He was her true love, the love of her life and each day spent without him was difficult to say the least. She couldn't stop the questions from flooding her mind. _Is he okay? Has he found someone else? Is he spending Christmas alone? _These things she couldn't keep out of her mind, but luckily Emma snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Mom! Do you think he'd like this?" Emma held up a leather, chestnut-colored wallet identical to the one her father already had. The only difference was well, this one was new and a lot less tattered and used.

Mary Margaret eyed the wallet and couldn't bite back the smile that flooded her features at the sight of the wallet. She'd never forget the memory the wallet held, and let herself recollect how she and David met.

_Mary Margaret was eighteen and enjoying her life as much as one possibly could. Despite her money troubles, she was likely the most cheerful girl in town and everyone loved her for how positive she was. She wasn't exactly popular, but she was well known for her caring and kindness. No one would've ever expected that she was a thief. _

_One night, Mary Margaret had a Student Council meeting that required her to stay later. She was the President, and had to stay later to finalize the council's selections for prom that spring. When she was beginning her walk home, she noticed the football team had just finished practicing. Heading back into the building, she pulled the fire alarm and watched as the boys ran out of the building. _

_Quickly, she ran inside of the locker room and found a chestnut-colored wallet sitting on the bench. Looking inside, she found $60 and a ring with a beautiful ring with a large, peridot stone. Pulling her black hood over her head, she stopped dead in her tracks when she heard the locker room door opening again. Hiding behind a corner, she listened as one of the boys came in. _

_David Nolan knew something wasn't right as soon as he heard the alarm. He thought he saw a figure hiding as he ran out of the building, and wasn't going to take any chances when his wallet was still in the locker room. When he walked over to his things, he panicked when he saw that his wallet was gone. He was even more alert when he heard the sound of footsteps and the locker room door closing. Running out as fast as he could, he caught sight of the figure running out of the door towards the neighborhood. _

_It wasn't so dark that he couldn't tell whether or not the figure was a male or female. As the figure ran away, their hood fell off to reveal long, black hair that shined against the breeze. Taking a deep breath, he called "I WILL FIND YOU! WHOEVER YOU ARE, I WILL ALWAYS FIND YOU!" _

Smiling at the memory, Mary Margaret turned her attention back to Emma, and shook her head lightly. "No Emma, the wallet he has now is very dear to him. I don't think he'd like another one." She played with the peridot ring on her finger and added, "Maybe he would like something else, like a new leather jacket or something? Does he still wear those?"

Emma surveyed her mother's face and knew something about the wallet was bothering her. She decided not to press the issue though and nodded. "I noticed that he doesn't wear any black ones, so maybe we should buy him black?

Grateful to Emma for not pressing the matter, she nodded. "I think that'd be a good idea."

When the two had found him a jacket and purchased it, Mary Margaret decided it was perhaps time for lunch. Not wanting to go to Granny's, Emma insisted that they eat in the food court so she could eat Subway. Once the two grabbed their subs and sat down to eat, Emma noticed Mary Margaret's eyes on someone.

"Ms. Mills?" Emma heard her mother call out to her teacher who was nervously walking over to the two. She couldn't stop the red from surfacing on her cheeks when she heard her mother once again call her English teacher over.

Regina walked over to the pair and tried to stop her heart from flying out of her chest. She wasn't nervous to meet Emma's mother, because well, she already had. She was nervous something would give them away and they were _too _new to suffer the blow that came with Emma's parents discovering them. Deciding that it'd be rude to pretend not to hear Emma's mother, she walked over and decided to just be polite.

"Hello, Ms. Blanchard." She said politely, even holding out her hand to shake the other woman's. Turning so her gaze was on Emma, she nodded politely. "Emma." Regina tried to be cordial, but not _so_ cordial that their relationship could be easily detected.

Emma simply waved at her teacher, trying to calm her nerves. She noticed however that her mother couldn't stop grinning. Why, she didn't know. "How are you Ms. Mills? Emma seems to be embarrassed by my talking to you, but I have to say I haven't had the chance to speak with any of her teachers this year so this is a pleasure!"

Raising her eyebrow in an _oh_ so typical Regina Mills way, she allowed herself to smirk at how eager this woman was to speak to her. "Please, call me Regina."

Mary Margaret's grin only widened at the loss of formality. "Well then, you can call me Mary Margaret!"

Regina shifted awkwardly as she looked from Emma to Mary Margaret. She didn't know why this woman had taken to her so quickly, but she wasn't going to ruin it by revealing that she was dating her daughter. She'd been sneaking glances at Emma, and couldn't help but notice that the entire time Emma's hands had been glued to her cleavage, so she could only hope that Mary Margaret didn't catch either of them.

Standing up straight, she cleared her throat and smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles on her pencil skirt. "It has been a pleasure meeting you, Ms.-Mary Margaret. I must be going now, I have other errands to run." Staying to hear the family's goodbye, she turned on her heel and walked away, making sure to add a sway of her hip, knowing Emma would be watching her.

Emma sure was watching her walk away, and couldn't help but drool a little at the way the skirt seemed to hug her teacher's ass. If that wasn't enough, she nearly died at the way her teacher's heels accentuated her legs.

"Emma!"

Turning around to the sound of her mother's voice, she put her head down to hide the way her cheeks instantaneously turned crimson red. "Yes..." She mumbled.

Mary Margaret would be lying if she said she hadn't noticed the way Ms. Mills occasionally looked at her daughter, or the way her daughter had practically been drooling over her teacher. Yes, she was completely okay with Emma liking girls, but it was another thing for Emma to have a fling with her teacher. She wasn't going to stir up chaos though if she wasn't certain, so she decided not to press the issue. "Never mind."

She resumed eating her sub, not noticing how Emma didn't even touch her food.

The following Wednesday, Emma was as excited as ever to share her presents with her friends. She'd had her mom drop her off at school because of how many bags she'd be carrying. Thanking her mother, she hopped out of the car and quickly made her way to her locker so that her friends couldn't see their gifts or have any clues as to what she got them. Instead of just buying one gift for her Secret Santa person, she got everyone else additional gifts as well.

Because she had first period free, she stopped in the commons and bought a cup of coffee for Regina, and a bagel for herself since she'd spent the morning wrapping gifts with Mary Margaret. Hoping Regina was in fact in her room, she walked up to the second floor to find that the door was in fact open.

She couldn't fight the wide grin that adorned her face when she saw her girlfriend. It was tacky sweater day at their school, but Regina refused to be seen in such abhorrent clothing. Instead, she wore a tight red dress with black pantyhose and adorned the dress with a green belt. _Merry Christmas. _

Closing the classroom door, she walked over to the older woman to set her coffee on the table. Regina's face lit up at the sight of her girlfriend. "Good morning, dear." She leaned in closer to her student, so close that she could feel and hear the deep breaths that the blonde was taking in order to calm herself. Wrapping her arms around the blonde, she wasn't sure who closed the distance between them, but she couldn't stop herself from smiling when pleasure spread throughout her body. When Emma's soft lips met hers, her only instinct was to deepen the kiss.

When she felt pale hands grip her ass, she gently pushed the blonde away, smiling at the way the blonde groaned. "Reginaaaaa…"

"Emmaaaaa," she said mockingly. Smiling at the disheveled blonde, she looked in the mirror and reapplied more lipstick, fixing the smudges.

"Is this for me, dear?" She said, pointing to the coffee. When Emma nodded, she took a long sip from the cup, moaning at the warm, liquid goodness that was traveling down her throat. "Thank you Emma, it's just how I like it."

Emma took up residence at the desk closest to Regina. Whilst spreading the cream cheese on her bagel, she couldn't help but notice how happy her girlfriend really looked. When she first met Regina, her smiles were more often than not insincere to the point where seeing them would cause Emma to wonder just what was bothering the woman. Now, her heart warmed at the fact that Regina's smiles always reached her eyes and that she had the ability to make someone so happy.

"Penny for your thoughts, dear?" Regina's signature eyebrow was once again raised, and a smirk was growing on her face with each passing second.

Emma couldn't help but blush at the thought of being caught. "Nothing it's just…you look happy. I don't mean happy like temporarily happy, but you look content. You were the most beautiful woman to me when you weren't so happy, but now, you're so much more beautiful. I hope when you look in the mirror and when you go to sleep at night you know that, because you really are."

Regina couldn't fight back the tears that came to her eyes at Emma's short speech. Wiping her eyes, she chuckled lightly, "Emma you sure know how to ruin a woman's makeup, don't you?" She'd never admit it, but too many times had she cried because of Emma Swan. She didn't know what it was about her girlfriend, but she really knew how to pull her heart strings.

Nodding vehemently at her girlfriend, she decided to talk to her about what she really wanted to talk about. "I think my mom knows about us."

Regina's smile suddenly disappeared, and her eyebrows furrowed. "How?" She wasn't going to show Emma, but inside she was having a heart attack. The last thing she needed was this. _Why can't I just be happy for just one second? _

"I think she caught me checking you out, and I don't think your frequent glances towards me went unnoticed. I don't think she _knows, _I just think she's suspicious."

Regina nodded, much happier with that explanation than the previous one. "Emma, what are we going to do?" She wasn't going to sacrifice her happiness easily, she had just found it. However, if she needed to in order to ensure Emma's happiness, she would do whatever it took.

Emma shrugged. "I don't know. I can't and I _won't _stop seeing you. I don't want to know what it's like to live without you, and I'm not going to. I love my mother, but if it comes down to it I'll always choose you."

Regina smiled at that, but she couldn't let Emma throw away a chance at a family when she'd just found her real mother. "You know I couldn't and wouldn't let you throw away your family for me. I love you so much Emma, but if she makes you choose at this age I don't want you to have to. You _need _your mother."

_You're my family. _Emma bit back a response and nodded. Truth be told, she often dreamt about Regina in ways she shouldn't at seventeen. Sometimes, she pictured them married. Other times, she pictured Regina carrying their child. It was much too soon for Emma to admit this to Regina, because Regina probably hadn't even thought about being with Emma for the long-term. Sighing to herself, she decided to talk about something much happier.

"What are you doing for Christmas, love?" Her hand had come to rest on Regina's, her thumb rubbing invisible soft circles on the older woman's flesh.

"My sister is coming to visit, why?"

Emma couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows in confusion. "You have a sister?"

Regina nodded. "Yes, she is my half-sister. I have to admit, I despised her at first, but our mother's death has brought us much closer. She lives in Boston with her son and I've invited them to stay with me for the holidays."

Emma simply nodded. "That's cool babe. I was just wondering, when can we have some alone time? I got you some Christmas gifts, when can we exchange them?"

When Regina didn't say anything, Emma became nervous. "I mean…you didn't have to get me anything, you probably didn't. I know that I sometimes do things without asking so I'm sorry…I just that that we could get together and open presents but—"

"Emma. Relax. I was just thinking. How about tonight?"

Emma thought about her plans for the next week and decided tonight would be a good night to spend with Regina. "Tonight is good." She noticed Regina biting her lip as if she wanted to say something but something was holding her back from doing so. "What is it babe?"

Regina fiddled with her fingers uncharacteristically and dropped her gaze so that she didn't have to look Emma in the eye. "I was wondering…If you'd maybe want to spend the night."

Emma's face brightened significantly at the thought of spending the night with Regina. "Of course I'd love to! To be honest, I just assumed I was going to but yes!" She couldn't stop thinking about spending the night with Regina, but then her thoughts drifted to what spending the night meant.

Catching where the blonde's train of thought went, Regina quickly said, "We don't have to do anything…I just wanted you to stay with me."

She never noticed how vulnerable Regina looked until now. Squeezing the tan hand, she brought Regina's chin up so that her eyes could meet her own. "I'd love to spend the night, sex or not."

Before Regina could respond, the bell rang, signaling the end of the period. Groaning to herself, Emma got up from her spot and gave Regina a quick peck on the lips before exiting the room.

The day seemed to drag on for Emma, and the more time that passed, the more anxious she grew about Regina. English class with the woman proved to be more difficult than she thought it'd be. She couldn't help but picture the woman naked. Knowing she'd held those magnificent breasts _in _her hands caused a wave of pleasure to be sent straight to her core. Emma shifted uncomfortably, clenching her legs close together to try to relieve the throbbing in between her legs.

Regina had been watching the blonde watch her the entire period, and couldn't help but laugh when she saw how aroused Emma had become within forty minutes. When the bell rang, she reminded the class about their project due when break ended and walked over to Emma's desk.

"Hey babe, I gotta eat lunch with my friends today, we're exchanging Secret Santa gifts today during lunch."

Regina tried to hide the disappointment, but Emma caught on quickly. Whispering huskily in the other woman's ear she said, "I'll make it up to you tonight…in the bedroom." Smacking the other woman's ass, she didn't wait around to see the darkening of Regina's eyes.

Emma walked down to her locker to retrieve her lunch and gifts for her friends. She had to admit, she was super excited to see the looks on their faces when they opened their gifts. Her and her mom had picked out each present specific to the person.

Once she got to their usual table, Ruby was the first to speak. "Hurry up and eat Emma! We're gonna open presents as soon as we're finished eating."

When everyone was finished eating, Ruby decided they'd go down the line and give their presents to each other. Ruby was the first to go. "Belle, I had you." Ruby handed Belle a rectangular shaped gift wrapped in paper with books all over it.

Belle opened the gift and immediately moved to hug Ruby. "Thank you so much Ruby! How did you find it?" It was no secret that Belle loved books. She loved any type of book, including nonfiction. She had a collection of encyclopedias for every letter except Z. Well, now she had Z.

Ruby shook her head. "It's no big deal. I found it after one of my midnight searches on amazon. It was quite hard to find, but I'd do anything for you Belle."

Smiling gratefully back at her friend, Belle went to retrieve her gift. "Kathryn, I had you. I hope you like it."

Kathryn opened her bag to find a law book and a gift certificate to the mall. Hugging Belle, she smiled fondly. "Thank you Belle! You know me, there's nothing I love more than law and shopping!" She reached under the table and pulled out a large box wrapped in red paper. "Here you go Red." Ruby opened the gift to find a pair of red stilettos that screamed _fuck me._

Screaming a bit and hugging her friend, Ruby couldn't contain her excitement. "Thanks so much K! I needed new clubbing shoes and Granny just wouldn't budge." Everyone laughed. If there was anyone who could go clubbing in 6 inch heels, it was Ruby.

Since Ruby had already given her person their gift, Tink decided to go. "I had Graham." She handed Graham a small bag and watched as he opened it to reveal three different bottles of axe.

"Thanks Tink. I'm not sure if you bought it because you know I wear it a lot or because you think I stink, but thanks." Everyone died laughing at that, while Tink assured Graham that he didn't smell bad.

Graham pulled out a box and handed it to Emma. "Emma, I had you! I hope you like it."

Emma opened the box to reveal a pair of brown riding boots. "Whoa no way!" Analyzing the boots, she smiled in contentment at the idea of adding to her boot collection. "Thanks Graham you rock!"

When Graham nodded, Emma reached under the table to get all of her gifts out from under the table. "I originally had Tinkerbell." Emma watched as Tink accepted the bag Emma handed her and she couldn't help but smile when she saw her face light up.

"Emma, thank you!" She slipped on the bright, shiny green bracelet Emma had given her and even put on the green headband to match. It was no secret that green was Tink's favorite color.

"I got the rest of you gifts as well." Swallowing, she took a deep breath to prepare herself. "At my other schools…I was a loner. No one wanted to be my friend let alone talk to me. I've never had best friends before, but now I have every single one of you to thank for showing me what it's like to have friends. You guys make me happy, and you care so much about me it's crazy. So, the least I could do is get you all gifts."

After blushing from all the "awww"s and accepting the hugs that Ruby couldn't stop giving her, she handed out the presents. Everyone seemed to love them and she couldn't help but pull out her phone to text her mother a thank you.

**Emma {12:50}: Everyone loved their presents, you couldn't have been more spot on. Thanks mom :)**

Not even a minute later, her mother responded.

**MM {12:50}: You're welcome baby. Love you, have a good day. X**

That reminded her, she had to ask about going to Regina's.

**Emma {12:52}: Mom, can I sleepover at Belle's tonight?**

Knowing her mother would say yes, she turned the phone off and began walking to Spanish since the bell was going to ring any minute. Throughout the period, she kept finding it harder and harder to pay attention. Spanish just reminded her of Regina, and she didn't want to think about Regina because she always got in trouble when she did that during class. Even during physics, Emma couldn't control how excited she was and she got more than one reminder to pay attention by her father.

When the period was over, she rushed over to her dad so they could have their usual after-class conversation.

"Emma, are you okay?"

Emma looked taken aback by his question, but she could understand why he'd ask considering she hadn't been paying attention at all. Feigning ignorance, she asked, "Yes, why do you ask?"

David simply looked at his daughter, silently telling her that he knew that she knew what he was referring to.

Cursing the situation under her breath, she nodded. "I'm fine dad, I'm just excited to have a sleepover with Belle tonight."

He nodded, seeming to accept that answer. "Speaking of sleepovers, would you like to join me for a Christmas celebration the day after Christmas? I know this is your first Christmas with your mom and I would never take that away from you."

Emma eagerly nodded. She didn't think she spent enough time with her dad. "I'll ask mom. I'm sure she'll say yes. Anyway, I gotta go meet Belle at her car. Bye daddy!" Giving him a kiss on the cheek and a hug, she ran out of the room and ran straight for her favorite Mercedes-Benz.

Seeing that her favorite teacher was already waiting for her, she hopped in the passenger's seat and put on her seat belt. Knowing it may not be safe to kiss her yet, she waited until Regina pulled off and drove a fair distance away from the school before capturing her in a passionate kiss at the red light.

"I missed you, my queen."

Regina smiled into the kiss and squeezed Emma's hand, "I missed you more, princess."

"Gina?" Emma couldn't help but smile as she used the nickname that Regina told her not to use.

"Yes?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at the blonde in order to feign anger. She secretly loved being called Gina and sometimes Reggie, but she'd never tell Emma that.

"I need to stop at my house for a bit. Do you think you could take me?"

"Of course."

The ride to Emma's home was quiet, and Regina insisted on parking a block away so that if her mother were to return home, they wouldn't have to explain their relationship earlier than they were planning to.

Emma sighed in relief when she saw that her mother wasn't home yet. Quickly grabbing Regina's presents, her phone charger, and some lingerie, she ran out of her house and down the block to Regina's car.

"I'm so glad I didn't have to explain myself. My mom wouldn't have stopped asking questions, oh my god."

Regina chuckled, knowing from stories about Mary Margaret that the woman was nosy as hell. Pulling off, she drove through town and hummed against the silence of the car. She didn't protest but rather smiled to herself when she felt Emma's hand intertwine with her own.

Once they pulled into the garage of 108 Mifflin Street, they got out of the car and went into the house. Emma did her usual thing and got herself a snack while Regina went upstairs to change into something more comfortable. Thinking of changing, Emma went into Regina's downstairs bathroom to change into her lingerie and freshen up.

She should be nervous, but she couldn't help but feel excited to make love to her girlfriend. The fact that she knew the brunette loved her, and that she loved her back was enough to allay her fears. She knew that Regina would make this experience more than pleasurable for her and the thought alone made her happy. Putting her clothing back on, she headed back into the kitchen to finish her snack of apples and caramel. She had to admit, even though Regina was on some dumb health kick, she always had good food.

"I see you've made yourself at home." Regina kept a straight face, wanting to mess with Emma a bit. When she noticed Emma looked more than sheepish, she smiled. "It's quite alright dear, my home is your home." Kissing Emma on the forehead, she moved further into the kitchen to sit next to Emma on one of the stools. She moved closer to the blonde to steal an apple slice, dipping it into the creamy caramel and moaning at the taste.

"I thought we could order in tonight, Chinese okay?"

Emma nodded eagerly. "It's more than okay! My mom doesn't like Chinese, so we never really have it around the house."

The two continued to sit together in a comfortable silence. Emma munched on her apple slices, and would feed some to Regina who would moan in order to turn Emma on. Shaking her head, Regina decided she didn't want their first time to be on the couch, or just sex.

"How about we move into the living room to watch a movie or something? It's a little early for dinner."

Acquiescing, Emma followed Regina into the living room. "Gina, can I pick the movie?"

Regina chuckled at Emma's eagerness. "Of course dear."

Emma examined Regina's collection of movies. Once she found what she was looking for, she popped it into the DVD and hopped onto the couch next to Regina.

"Emma, Where the Heart Is is my _favorite _movie! How'd you know?"

Emma couldn't believe her ears. She turned so her gaze could meet Regina's and she smiled. "It's my favorite too. I watch it every Wednesday, actually."

Smiling to herself, Regina sat on the couch and prepared to watch the movie. She would've made popcorn, but she didn't want to spoil their appetite although something about Emma told her the blonde's appetite couldn't be spoiled no matter what she ate.

As the movie progressed, Regina noticed that Emma had started to lean into her. The blonde's body molded into Regina's and Regina smiled as she felt the slight rising and falling of Emma's chest against her and felt Emma's warm breath against her skin.

"Regina?"

Regina shifted so that she could look Emma in the eye when she spoke to her. "Yes?"

"I love you. I also love cuddling with you. I really want to make love to you, but if we never did…I'd still be the happiest girl in the world, you know that?"

"I didn't know that dear." Wiping away a stray tear, she added, "I feel the exact same way about you Emma. You have such a big heart, that's what I love most about you. If you gave me even a tiny piece of your heart, I'd be forever grateful. Sex or no sex."

Emma pondered what Regina said for a moment, then gazed into the brown globes that she loved so much, "Regina, you have the whole thing. You've had it since the moment I first laid eyes on you."

"And you have mine."

Unable to keep herself from crying again, she decided to do something that would keep her from crying "I have to order the food, I shall return shortly." Squeezing the blonde's knee, she rose to call the Chinese restaurant and get her mind off of how perfect her girlfriend was.

Pouting to herself, she couldn't help but miss the brunette already. Something inside her wished that nights like these would turn into weeks, months, and years together. She'd only been dating Regina for a week, but she knew that she wanted to spend the rest of the weeks of her life showing the brunette that she loved her.

The ping of her phone pulled her out of her thoughts when she gazed at her email. Opening the application, she stifled a scream when she read her most recent email.

_**Dear Ms. Swan,**_

_** I am delighted to inform you that the Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid has voted to offer you a place in the Harvard Class of 2019…**_

"HOLY SHIT!" Emma couldn't stop jumping up and down. It was as if all of her bad dancing skills had been put on full display.

Regina ran into the living room and couldn't bite back the laughter. At first she thought something was wrong, but she could clearly see her girlfriend was happy about something. What? She didn't know. "Emma, what is it?"

Emma shoved the phone into Regina's hands and couldn't stop smiling as she watched Regina's face erupt into a face of smiles. "Emma! I'm so happy for you, I knew you could do it!"

Regina stepped closer to Emma and pulled the blonde in for a passionate kiss. Plump, red lips sucked on the blonde's bottom lip. Emma moved even closer to deepen the kiss, allowing her tongue to swipe her girlfriend's bottom lip for permission. Granting Emma access, the two began a dance of tongues, both moaning loudly at the sensations being created.

After what seemed like eternity, both pulled away gasping for air. They couldn't continue their make out session due to the doorbell ringing, pulling them both from their lust-filled thoughts.

After paying the delivery man, Regina followed Emma into the living room with the food. The two chose to sit on the floor and to eat at the coffee table with each other. Regina chose to eat chicken lo mein and fried rice, while Emma chose sesame chicken and white rice.

The two women ate in comfortable silence until Regina spoke. "Are you excited for college?"

Emma shrugged her shoulders. "Do you want my Miss Swan answer or my honest answer?"

Curious by this, Regina replied, "Both."

Smiling a bit, Emma put down her food and looked Regina in the eye. "My Miss Swan answer is yes. I'm excited to learn new things, discover different ways of thinking and gain more knowledge. My honest answer is not really. I'm as excited about college as anyone in my position would be. What I'm most excited about is starting my life with you. I can hold your hand in public, kiss you in the middle of the mall, and openly talk about my girlfriend with my friends. _That _is what I'm excited about."

Regina couldn't stop the growing smile that reached her eyes. "Emma, I feel exactly the same way. I love you so much."

Before Emma could move in to kiss Regina, Regina held her back gently. "Ah ah ah…how about we open presents first?"

Nodding, she got up to go get her gifts and Regina did the same. They both sat down next to each other and immediately got their presents and began to speak. Laughing a bit, Regina spoke, "You go first."

Emma nodded and retrieved the bag which contained Regina's presents. When she handed Regina the bag, she couldn't help but closely study the older woman's face for any signs of disappointment. All she wanted was for her girlfriend to like what she bought her.

Regina carefully unwrapped the first of the presents she saw. She gasped as she surveyed the present Emma got her. "Emma, it's beautiful. Can you help me put it on?" Emma had gotten Regina a diamond crown necklace. It had taken most of her childhood savings to buy, but as long as it made Regina smile, she would pay anything. "I got you this because you're my queen. Your beauty, the way you carry yourself, and your personality is that of a queen's. I hope you like it, my queen."

Regina planted a tender kiss on Emma's cheek and smiled as Emma kissed her tears away. She was ready to give Emma her own present, but then she felt a hand on her arm stopping her. "There's more."

"Emma, you didn't have to—". She was interrupted by Emma quieting her. Acquiescing, she reached into the bag to reveal a book titled "Las Comidas Españolas". Opening the book, she saw there were about 70 different Hispanic recipes. She noticed that all of the words were written by hand and the pictures were glued in. "Emma, did you make this all by yourself?"

Receiving a nod from her girlfriend, Regina began to tear up again. "Emma, thank you so much."

Shaking her head, she replied, "I know how much you loved your dad. If this helps you get closer to him, I'm willing to do anything. Plus, I love making you happy."

The Latina shifted closer to Emma and pulled her in for a searing kiss, moaning at the heat she could feel radiating from Emma. Deciding they'd open Emma's gift later, she pulled Emma closer to the staircase.

"Bedroom?"

Nodding, Emma smiled into the kiss. Some might say it was too early in their relationship, and some might say it was wrong for someone so old to be with someone so young, but they didn't care. All that mattered was that Emma loved Regina and Regina loved Emma.


	20. Chapter 20

Thank you all for reading my story! There haven't been many reviews…is it getting boring? Suggestions? Comments? Questions? Let me know. To those of you interested, I think I want to write a no curse AU but in the Enchanted Forest. Any ideas? Enjoy x

Chapter 20

"_Bedroom?" _

Emma lay on the bed that was Regina Mills', waiting for the woman who made her heart pound so hard that she felt it would fall out of her chest. She lay in the center of the bed, clad in black lingerie, waiting for Regina to enter the room again. She couldn't help but close her eyes and imagine what tonight would be like be like for her. No, she wasn't nervous, she was excited. So excited that the banging of her heart against her chest almost overwhelmed her. That feeling then seemed miniscule when Regina walked into the room out of her closet.

The brunette sashayed over to Emma sexily, appreciating the come-hither look that was so conspicuous within the blonde's eyes. The passion evident in Emma's eyes pulled her towards the younger woman, drawing her closer to her lover. Taking one more step closer, she lowered her body onto the blonde's, both women moaning at the skin on skin contact.

"Regina," Emma said, with so much love within her words that Regina's eyes watered.

Plump, red lips lowered themselves onto the blonde's pink ones. As soon as their lips met, pale hands found the Latina's round ass and squeezed. "Mmm," Regina moaned into the kiss. There was something about Emma's hands on her ass that sent waves of pleasure straight to her core. Emma lifted her head, instantaneously deepening the kiss.

Their bodies wrapped around each other's, enjoying the closeness that came with being half naked. With each kiss, the heat and passion of the moment increased. Emma's heart became a flutter, her bottom lip quivering with each second, her body temperature raising exponentially. She groaned at the loss of Regina's lips, but moaned as soon as they attached to her neck. "Regina…"

Pearly white teeth sunk into pale white flesh, claiming Emma as her own. She and Emma knew that they belonged to one another, but there was nothing like marking her territory—being able to physically claim what belonged to her. Kissing her way down the blonde's body, she looked into green eyes and silently asked for permission to unclasp the black lace bra. When she received a nod, she eagerly undid the clasp and carelessly threw the bra across the room.

She took a moment to study the round, perky breasts beneath her. She studied the design that was Emma Swan's body and guided her mouth down to lick the flesh beneath her. She swirled her tongue around the flesh and engulfed the erect bud within her lips.

"Mmmm, Regina." Emma enjoyed the feeling of wet lips on her breasts. It felt nice, but she found herself craving something more. "Regina…I need more…"

Regina shifted to the other breast and instantly latched on. Only when she had done the same thing as she had to the previous one did she unlatch. "Tell me what you need, baby."

Emma writhed beneath Regina, squirming. "I need you down there…"

Deciding to mess with her girlfriend a little more, she smirked. "Down where?" Now, Regina had stopped all contact she had with Emma's breasts and was now straddling her, waiting for her to command her to where she needed her.

"I need you to make me come…I need you to touch my pussy."

The dirty talk sent pleasure straight to Regina's core. Leaning in, she pressed a kiss next to the blonde's earlobe, whispering, "You have no idea how much I've wanted you." Her words sent shivers down the blonde's spine.

Emma looked up into brown orbs, smiling, "I think I do."

Regina shimmied her way down Emma's body, and grabbed the blonde's panties. "Let's get these off you." She smiled as the blonde lifted her hips off the bed and allowed her to remove her panties. Planting a kiss on the blonde's pubic bone, she took a moment once again to study the blonde's naked body. She truly couldn't believe she was experiencing this, getting to touch Emma…someone she'd craved ever since she gazed into those piercing green eyes.

Regina spread the blonde's legs and her eyes widened slightly at the glistening center before her. Running a finger through the wetness, she moaned at how slick Emma's pussy was. "Emma, you're so wet for me."

Emma licked her lips and moaned at the wandering finger. "It's all for you babe."

Regina's head leaned in closely to the blonde's center. A hot tongue extended out and swirled on Emma's erect bud. In response, Emma moaned, and pale hands instinctively reached to grip soft, brown hair. "Regina, _fuck_ that feels so good."

Regina's tongue continued to dance, gliding over the blonde's clit, dragging itself over the lips of Emma's sex. The game became an act of sucking, kissing, licking, and toying with her clit. Just as Emma was close to the edge, she inserted one finger inside the blonde, eliciting a sharp moan from the blonde.

"FUCK!" White waves of pleasure flooded Emma's mind, and she slammed her eyes shut. Just when she didn't think the pleasure could build anymore, Regina's finger reached her g-spot, that motion sending the blonde spiraling over the edge, holding onto Regina's hair for support. "Regina…"

The brunette continued to thrust in and out of Emma to drag out her orgasm as long as possible. "I'm right here, my love…"

Once Emma came down from her high, Regina climbed up next to her and gazed lovingly into Emma's dreamy green eyes. Emma, still recovering from her powerful orgasm pulled Regina into a languid kiss, which was returned by the brunette with alacrity.

After a while, Emma was ready to reciprocate. She had to admit, she was beyond nervous, but she believed enough in the love Regina had for her that she knew her girlfriend would be pleased with anything she did. Pressing a kiss to her teacher's strong jawline, she blew raspberries down the woman's body until she was met with a scent that was purely Regina Mills.

She had a feeling she could smell that scent for the rest of her life and never grow tired of it. In fact, it made her even wetter for Regina. "Can I take these off?" When all she was met with was the raising of hips, she slid the underwear off her girlfriend.

Kissing the brunette as she did her, she gazed at the divine pussy of Regina Mills. She couldn't believe she was in bed with her English teacher, or that her English teacher was her girlfriend. She also couldn't believe this woman was nine years her senior, which sent waves of panic throughout her body. _What do I do? Do I eat her out?_

As if reading her girlfriend's mind, Regina lightly touched the blonde's shoulder, squeezing it to assure her that everything was okay. "Emma, you don't have to do anything to me. We can just cuddle and go to sleep. I won't be mad…"

Any hint of disappointment or frustration that the brunette might have had was not evident in the way she spoke to Emma. Emma's heart swelled, and she remembered exactly why she'd fallen in love with this woman and was determined to please her in every way possible. Holding her girlfriend's hips down, she tentatively swiped her slit with her tongue.

"Mmm." Regina's eyebrows knit in pleasure, her eyes closed, and her head swam.

Encouraged by Regina's response, she began to lick even harder, taking in account the places that made the brunette moan the most. She then inserted two fingers inside the brunette, curling them to hit that sweet spot that she knew would make her girlfriend moan.

"OH! Emma! Please….harder." Regina's toes curled at the feeling of Emma's tongue in her most personal area, and at the rhythmic pounding she was receiving. She smiled when she felt that familiar feeling building within her core, except this time, it felt different…as if she was going to pee. "Uh…"

Emma took this as a sign that Regina was going to come and began to thrust even harder, making sure she hit Regina's in the spot that would make her tumble over the edge. Sucking her clit even harder, she felt Regina's inner walls tighten around her fingers.

"Emma, I'm coming!"

Regina comes, instantly soaking Emma with her come. Lapping up as much of the woman's juices as she could, she moans as the taste of Regina Mills trickles down her throat.

Sliding up the brunette's body to be with her, she rested next to Regina, wrapping her arms around her.

"Hey Gina, you ok?"

Regina looked at Emma, and laughed. "I'm _more _than okay. No one has ever made me squirt before, _ever._"

A proud grin graced Emma's features, and she immediately felt happier about her ability to please Regina sexually. "I'm glad I made you happy." Planting a kiss on the brunette's cheek, she moved so that she could cuddle even better with her girlfriend. Letting out a yawn, she spooned Regina and fell into a comfortable sleep.

When Emma Swan woke up, she was aware that the bed she was in wasn't her own. From the soft silk sheets to the walk in closet she could see into, she knew this room belonged to her girlfriend. Thinking of Regina, she felt around for her girlfriend and frowned when she realized her girlfriend wasn't in bed with her.

Getting out of bed, she slipped on one of Regina's robes and walked down the stairs. The closer she got, the more she could smell the aroma of breakfast. Even though she could cook, and her mother could cook, she never got tired of Regina's cooking. The love she put into cooking warmed her heart every time she consumed it.

Walking into the kitchen, she saw Regina putting omelets on the plates and making parfaits. Walking up to her girlfriend, she gave her an ephemeral, but passionate kiss on the lips. "Good morning, how did you sleep?"

Regina smiled back at Emma, "I slept well, dear. How about you?"

"I slept better than I have in seventeen years. Sleeping with you in my arms is better than I could've ever imagined."

Regina felt Emma's words tug at her heart. "I feel exactly the same way, Emma." Not wanting to get too emotional, she put the blonde's plate in front of her and took a seat next to her.

As Emma was eating, she heard her phone beep. Realizing she had forgotten about it, she got up to check it. She figured it was just Ruby or Belle, so she didn't know why she felt the urge to check it. Opening her phone, she saw it was a message from Mary Margaret.

**Mom {9:23AM}: I know you're not at Belle's. Home. Now.**

More or less running up the staircase, Emma walked into the brunette's room and quickly put her clothing back on, careful to make sure the jacket she wore covered the love bite on her neck. Running back down the stairs, she rushed over to where she'd left her things and began packing them up.

Regina rushed into the living room, wondering what was going on with Emma. "Emma! Slow down!" When the blonde didn't slow down, she put a hand on her shoulder. "Sweetheart, what's going on?"

Emma simply shook her head and went to go put on her shoes. When Regina reached for her again, she shrugged away and left the house, slamming the door, not even bothering to give Regina a hug or a kiss.

Regina didn't know where things went wrong. One minute they'd been in love, eating breakfast together, and the next Emma was storming out of her house. _Had she done something? _Of course she had. She was always the one to screw things up, and Emma had found something out about her that she didn't like and she decided to leave. Regina's world began to crumble, and she found she couldn't withstand hardships nearly as well as she could before. All because she met Emma Swan.


	21. Chapter 21

Thank you to all the positive reviews! I can't believe I've written 20 chapters already! It feels like just yesterday I was planning this story out. This story means the world to me, and you all mean the world to me. I got to be honest with you, this story will end in the next 5-10 chapters. There isn't much more for me to write, unless you'd like me to continue with Emma's life in college? Even then, I would make a sequel that you all could read. Enjoy x

Chapter 21

Emma knew she'd rushed out of Regina's house. She knew that she hadn't given her girlfriend any explanation as to why she'd just did a 180 with her emotions, but she didn't have time. She was racing home now; not that it mattered. She and Regina had just discussed how her mother seemed suspicious of them, and now she knew Emma had lied about sleeping over at Belle's. _Shit. _

As she ran, Emma thought about what she might say to her mom. _Hey mom, yes I'm fucking my English teacher. Why didn't I tell you? I thought you might freak out. _Shaking her head, she felt the familiar lump in the back of her throat and sighed as the water began to gather in her eyes, threatening to run past the threshold with one blink. As her feet hit the pavement, she wondered exactly what she'd say to her mother and how she'd say it.

She knew her mother loved her, but _how much? _If this had happened with a foster family, they wouldn't have hesitated to give her back and let another family deal with her. Angst began to build, and she found herself no longer able to ward off the panic that was now occupying her entire being.

She sprinted the last stretch of the distance to her house and lightly tapped on the door. Usually, she would hear her mother say "Coming!" in an over-zealous manner but this time there was nothing. Upon opening the door, Emma was met with her always-stunning mother, but she could tell she wasn't happy. Emma didn't know whether this mystery emotion was anger, disappointment, or both but she knew that it was a horrible feeling to be on the receiving end of the look.

Stepping around her mother, Emma walked into the house and instantly began to make herself some hot chocolate. If she was going to be chewed out, it might as well be done while she's drinking chocolaty goodness, right? When she was finished, she took a seat by the kitchen island and waited for her mother to walk over to her. After waiting for a good ten minutes, she walked across the room and sat down next to her mother on the couch.

Emma thought she was going to have to initiate the conversation, but her mother turned and simply said, "You lied to me."

Emma should've known that was coming. She couldn't lie to her mother now that she knew she was lying, and both of them knew that. "I know."

Mary Margaret didn't even turn to look at her daughter when she asked, "Why did you lie, Emma? Where were you?" She had a feeling she was right in her suspicions, but she wanted Emma to admit it, not just assume.

Emma gulped. _Should I tell my mother? _Deciding now was the best time, she cleared her throat. "I was at Regina's." She noticed how her mother didn't even flinch, raise an eyebrow, or turn her head at the admission. "…But I have a feeling you already knew that."

Mary Margaret nodded her head. "I did, I just wanted you to tell me yourself." She turned so that she and Emma were now facing each other. "Emma, is there _something else _you would like to tell me as well?"

Emma soon began to find the nonexistent carpet very interesting. "I'mdatingRegina."

Mary Margaret put her hand by her ear and said, "What was that? I couldn't quite hear you." Now, she was biting back a smile, but she needed Emma to actually admit it.

"I'm dating Regina, mom. My English teacher." Emma watched as her mother digested the information. Once again, her mom showed no signs of receiving new information. She _was _right about her mom knowing. When her mother didn't respond, Emma blanched. "Are you going to make me break up with her?"

Mary Margaret looked in Emma's eyes and saw the tears threatening to spill over. Her heart instantly sank, and she felt terrible about even thinking about splitting up her daughter. She was conflicted, though. "Emma, I'm not going to pretend that I'm okay with this, because I'm not."

Emma nodded. She didn't expect her mother to be okay with this. Hell, she didn't think she'd be having this conversation with her mom for a while, but here she was. "I know, mom. I'm sorry I lied to you…" She took a deep breath. This was the moment where she could either choose her mother or her girlfriend. This was the moment before she either had a family or she didn't. "Mom, I love you but…if you make me break up with Regina then I'll never forgive you. Yes, you can force me not to see her or be with her, but the minute I turn eighteen is the minute you'll never hear from me again. You're my mother, but you used to be my best friend and my entire world. Don't make me choose."

Mary Margaret was stunned. Never had Emma acted this way towards her. She felt a sense of pride that her daughter could stand up for what she believed in so vehemently but also sadness that her daughter thought she'd make her choose between someone she obviously loved and herself. "Emma, I'm not going to make you choose. I'm just hurt that you didn't tell me and that you lied. I'm disappointed in you."

Emma hung her head in shame. She knew she had lied, but she had just wanted Regina so badly that she wasn't willing to jeopardize their budding relationship so soon. "I'm sorry mom, and it won't happen again."

Nodding, Mary Margaret looked her daughter in the eyes and firmly stated, "It'd better not." When she saw Emma glance at the clock on her phone for the umpteenth time she sighed, "Emma is there somewhere you have to be?"

Emma grinned sheepishly at her mother, hoping she'd let her go back to Regina's. "I left Regina's without saying anything, and she is probably crying or dying inside as we speak. She hates it when I don't tell her things."

Mary Margaret could see the despair within Emma's eyes. She honestly felt uncomfortable with the idea of her seventeen year old daughter dating a twenty-eight year old woman, but she couldn't imagine losing Emma had she broken them apart. Part of her also wanted to keep Emma young forever, since she'd missed out on the first sixteen years of her life. Nodding her head, she watched as Emma raced to the door and ran, the slam making her wince.

Emma sighed as the cold wind hit her face. She didn't particularly love running, but she found it helped her to blow off some steam, and now was definitely the time to do it. As she ran to Regina's, she thought about what she would say to her girlfriend. _Sorry I ran out, I love you? _Shaking her head, she realized that that explanation wasn't nearly good enough.

When she got to the mansion, she wiped her now sweaty hands on her pants and tentatively knocked on the door. She heard a soft, "Just a minute" and then several footsteps until the door opened, revealing Regina Mills. If Emma didn't know her girlfriend as well as she did, she wouldn't have guessed that the woman was upset at all.

Regina watched her girlfriend standing outside her door. When she saw Emma again, her heart leapt, clearly happy to see the girl who she'd been kissing not even two hours prior. Then, her heart sank, thinking Emma had come to break up with her. Regaining her regal posture, she slipped on her usual façade and raised her eyebrow. "Miss Swan, I can assure you whatever it is you thought we had—"

Emma brought a finger up to her girlfriend's lips and quickly side stepped the brunette, now making her way into the large house. She set her bag down by the door and slipped her shoes off, walking into the living room. She didn't even spare a glance at Regina, knowing the older woman had followed her. Emma took a seat on the couch and watched as Regina stood standing, clearly more upset than Emma had anticipated. Emma stewed in her thoughts, thinking of what to say until Regina's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Seriously, Miss Swan? First, you show up unannounced at my home, then you barge your way into my house without my permission, and now you refuse to speak even when the opportunity to do is present? I'm not impressed."

Emma winced at the coldness behind her girlfriend's words. Each sentence was a reminder of how badly she'd fucked up. _Shit. _"Regina-"

"That's Ms. Mills to you, Miss Swan."

"_Ms. Mills"_, she decided to humor the woman for a moment, "I came to apologize to you. I left earlier without saying anything, and that wasn't fair of me, I'm sorry." She bit back a sigh of relief at the sight of the woman deflating. She swallowed the lump in her throat and continued, "If you'd give me a chance I'd love to explain."

Regina looked indifferent to whether Emma continued to speak or not. Unfolding her arms and bringing them to her side, she sighed. "You have five minutes, Miss Swan and then you need to be out of my house."

Emma fought the urge to smile, knowing she could explain in five minutes. She couldn't shake the discomfort of being called Miss Swan once again, but she ignored it. "My mom knows about us, Regina." When she watched her girlfriend's expression turn into panic, she silently assured her that everything was alright. "She wasn't happy with me for lying at first, but I explained us to her. I just want you to know that I love you, and I'd choose you over anyone and anything. I told her that if she tried to break us up, I wouldn't speak to her after I turned eighteen."

Emma got up and walked the short distance across the room. Green eyes met brown and Regina could see the unwavering sincerity within the green globes before her. "I'm _so _sorry and I know I hurt you, but I didn't mean to. I'm still not used to having a significant other that cares about me, and I forget that my actions affect the people around me."

When Regina didn't say anything or appear to care about anything Emma had said, Emma swallowed, trying to keep the tears and the lump in the back of her throat at bay. Turning for the door, Emma sighed. "If you didn't get anything out of what I said, I want you to know that you are loved and I was and am willing to fight for you. You deserve so much more than what your parents gave you, and I want to give that to you." She walked towards the door, but stopped when she heard Regina's voice.

"Emma."

Emma spun around quickly on her heels, barely unable to grasp what was happening when she was pressed against the adjacent wall, feeling soft, plump lips against her own. It took a second for her to respond to the urgency of the kiss, but she returned it with vigor. She moaned as she felt Regina lightly nibble her bottom lip, returning the favor with alacrity.

Regina's hands wandered to find Emma's ass, squeezing the flesh. Emma moaned into the kiss, her hands seeking Regina's neck, pulling her into the kiss. She lifted her right leg and brought it up to curl around Regina's hip. She tilted her head back as Regina's lips latched onto the pale flesh that was her neck. She moaned loudly as the brunette bit into her neck, marking her. All thoughts about her mother left her mind.

Deciding she wanted to please her queen, Emma quickly turned them around so Regina was against the wall. Leaning in, she whispered huskily in her girlfriend's ear, "Let me please you, my queen. I need to show you how sorry I am."

Regina moaned loudly and gasped when Emma ripped her shirt open, buttons now scattered everywhere. "Emma that was Armani!" Regina feigned anger. She didn't care what brand her shirt was as long as Emma was inside her within the next thirty seconds. She helped the blonde take her pants off, leaving her in a blue lace bra and matching thongs.

Emma moaned at the sight of her girlfriend half naked all for her. Her mouth latched onto the Latina's neck, her hands simultaneously unclasping the woman's bra. Her fingers slowly ran along the side of the woman's ribcage. She brought her mouth down the lick Regina's nipple, moaning at the feeling of the brunette's fingers becoming tangled in her hair. She lightly nibbled the flesh, and Regina moaned at the sensation of teeth being on her tender breasts.

"Emma, I need you…"

Emma wanted to give her her release so bad, but she couldn't resist making her ask for it. "What do you need me to do, love?" Emma began to slide Regina's panties down her legs, her mouth watering at the sight of her shaven pussy.

Regina was in no mood to beg. "Emma, _please. _I need you to fuck me. I need you to make me come, _right now._"

Emma wasted no time as her thumb swirled around Regina's clit.

"Ooh Emma, that feels so good, I need more!" Regina couldn't hide how good Emma made her feel. It was like her nerve endings were on fire and she just couldn't get enough of the flames.

Emma complied and swirled her middle finger in Regina's wetness before entering the woman, instantly curling her finger to find her girlfriend's sweet spot. When she heard Regina moan loudly, she inserted another finger, curling them both.

Once she was fully inside the brunette, she began to thrust rhythmically, faster with each passing second.

"Emma! Right there!" Regina's skin was now covered in a thin, sheen layer of sweat. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as Emma brought her wave after wave of pleasure. Just when she didn't think it could get any better, Emma dropped to her knees and took Regina's erect bud into her mouth, sucking it into her mouth.

"Fuck!" Arching her back, Regina cried out as her powerful orgasm overwhelmed her. She couldn't concentrate or fully focus on anything, it was that good.

Emma continued to thrust in and out of her girlfriend, milking her orgasm for all it was worth. Once Regina came down from her high, she watched in amusement as Regina ran over to the windows and began to shut the blinds, and then quickly redressed.

With one glance at the clock Emma knew that it was time for her to go. She also knew Regina had to pick up her sister and her family from the airport. "Regina…I have to go." She smiled how adorable her girlfriend looked when she pouted.

Regina's bottom lip poked out as she pouted uncharacteristically. If there was one thing she loathed the most it would be Emma leaving. Sometimes she wished she could have her girlfriend to herself all the time. She put on a fake smile and allowed Emma to kiss her on the cheek.

"I can tell you're missing me already, but think about how happy you'll be when you see your sister and her son."

Regina beamed at the thought of her nephew. He always seemed to make her feel better no matter what. She found herself to be quickly enamored with the boy and couldn't wait to see him.

Emma smiled when she realized her tactic had worked. All she wanted was for Regina to smile; _genuinely. _"There's that smile I love." She chuckled when she saw the blush creep on Regina. She leaned in and pulled Regina into a hug, sighing in contentment. She loved how her girlfriend smelled like sun-kissed apples. Her perfume, clothing, hair—she even tasted like them. She officially decided that her favorite fruit was apples.

Regina smiled and rubbed Emma's back. "Emma, you have to go and I have to go pick up my sister and nephew from the airport."

Knowing it'd just make things more difficult if she didn't acquiesce, Emma decided it was best to leave. When she went to break the hug, the doorbell rang. Regina's eyebrows knit in confusion, she hadn't been expecting anyone.

Emma followed behind Regina and stood next to the stairs going into the house as Regina went to answer the door. She watched as Regina opened the door to reveal a tall woman with a small boy in her arms.

Regina's eyes lit at the sight of her sister and nephew. "Oh goodness, hello! Come on in, where are your bags?"

Zelena looked a bit nervous as she glanced behind her and back to Regina. She knew that this person coming along would make her sister uncomfortable, but they wouldn't take no for an answer. Stepping inside the house, she whispered _"They're coming", _before handing Regina her son.

Regina didn't even have time to question what her sister meant when the person carrying Zelena's bags walked up to the door and looked at Regina apprehensively. If Regina hadn't been holding her sleeping nephew, she would've dropped whatever she was holding. Emma watched as Regina's skin paled dramatically. Regina looked as if she'd seen a ghost.

Then, she whispered one word, a word so quiet you wouldn't have heard it if the atmosphere wasn't dead silent. "Robin."


	22. Chapter 22

Thank you to you all for your support! I think the reason I love writing this story so much is because I have such supportive readers! Heart you all x

Chapter 22

"_Robin."_

Emma's eyebrows knit in confusion. _Who is Robin? _She looked from Regina to the man and then back to Regina. Her eyes bored into Regina, hoping to make the woman's eyes meet her own. When she was unsuccessful, she watched as Regina's shoulders sagged and her jaw went slack.

"Robin, what are you doing here?" The question wasn't rhetorical, but it was knowing enough that she was exactly sure of why he came all the way across the country let alone to her home.

The well-dressed man looked from Regina to Emma and then back to Regina. Emma could see a glint in his eyes that immediately made her protective of Regina, but she decided not to say anything just yet. She wanted to know exactly what this man wanted. "I came to win you back, my love."

Regina raised a sculpted eyebrow and sent daggers at both her sister and Robin. Emma couldn't see her, but she chuckled, knowing exactly what people on the receiving end of those glares looked like. She shifted uncomfortably in her spot, not quite knowing what to do. She had to hurry home to her mother, but she also wanted to stay and make sure this man didn't try to put the moves on Regina. Yes, she trusted Regina and knew Regina could take care of herself, but she wanted to protect the brunette.

"Zelena, why would you bring him here?" Finally accepting that Robin was in fact here to stay, she moved from the doorway and walked further into the living room and laid her nephew down on her couch. When she saw Zelena and Robin take a seat on her other couch, she looked at Emma and gently coaxed the blonde into the dining room.

Emma wordlessly followed Regina, wanting answers more than anything. As soon as they got into the other room Emma shrieked, "Who is he?!" She wasn't blind. He looked like he was worth a million dollars and she wasn't as jealous as she was insecure. _Could she give Regina the life he could give her? Could she give Regina anything at all? _Shaking her head, her eyes met Regina's which showed that she was just as uncomfortable as she was.

"Robin is my ex-boyfriend from college; my mother set us up. She thought I would fall head-over-heels for him and want to marry him. We dated for about a year until I cheated on him with my roommate. I realized I was a lesbian although I'd had suspicions and I ended things with him. Long story short, he was not too happy about this and vowed to get me back. I did not expect this almost ten years later, but here he is."

Before Regina could get the last word out of her mouth, Robin appeared almost out of nowhere. If Emma hadn't been extremely aware of her surroundings she would've jumped out of her skin. All Emma paid attention to was the strong arm that was now grabbing her girlfriend's arm. Before Regina could say anything or stop raising her eyebrow, Emma stepped between them, effectively removing Regina's arm from Robin's grasp.

"_What exactly do you think you're doing?" _Emma was trying to remain calm, but all she could see was green.

Robin didn't look at Emma, but at Regina. He reached for Regina's hand, but quickly withdrew it after seeing the predatory look in the blonde's eyes. He turned up his nose and replied, "I'm taking what's mine."

Regina's eyes furrowed at Robin's words. _How dare he claim me as if I'm the last steak at the buffet? _She didn't know what upset her more: him being in her home, or him thinking that anything she'd felt for him was more than platonic. She was going to scold him, _really _tell him how much he annoyed her when a voice that was not her own cut through the tense silence that had now overcome the room.

Emma couldn't believe her ears. _What's his? _Who does this man think he is? "Excuse me Robert, but Regina is _my _girlfriend, and I'm not going to get into a pathetic little fight with you over it. We are together, and I'm 100% sure she doesn't want you."

Robin watched the two in disbelief as they subconsciously snuggled into each other. He watched as Regina's signature smirk appeared on her face. _Where was the Regina he knew? _He realized then that she was nowhere to be found. His expression quickly changed as he glared at Emma. "It's _Robin _and I'll have you know that I'm the best thing for—"

It was Regina who intervened now. "Please refrain from finishing that sentence, Robin. We never were a real couple, and we never will be. I love Zelena, but bringing you here was not wise. I don't know where you came from, but why don't you go back to wherever that is." Regina was done playing games with Robin. She needed him and everyone else to understand that attempting to come between her and Emma would not be tolerated.

To further emphasize her point, she kissed Emma on the forehead and wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist. She watched in disbelief as Robin's entire face changed to the color of a tomato. His jaw went slack and his hands curled into fists, as if he was ready to attack Emma. Regina stood protectively in front of her girlfriend and looked Robin straight in the eye, letting him know that she was being completely serious. "Robin, I'd like for you to leave."

Both Emma and Regina watched the man's retreating figure as he aggressively retrieved his suitcase from the living room and exited the white mansion, slamming the door.

As soon as Robin left, Emma couldn't help but giggle hysterically. "Did you see the look on his face?!" Her giggles soon became howls, her hand clenching her stomach.

Regina glanced at Emma out of the side of her eye for a moment and then joined the blonde in her cackling. "I suppose that was rather amusing."

Emma shook her head, "It was fucking hilarious! The best part was when he called you _his, _as if you belonged to him or something. I think your boyfriend is stuck in the 1900's."

Regina glared at the blonde at the mention of the word boyfriend. She couldn't help but bite back a smile at the blonde's antics. She glanced into the living room at her sister cradling her sleeping son and smiled at the two. Yes, she was going to kill her sister for the stunt she pulled today.

Emma gathered her things at the door and watched miserably as her girlfriend walked towards her. She wasn't prepared for soft, tan hands to cup her face and pull her into a deep, passionate kiss. Moaning into the kiss, she brought her hands up to rest on Regina's hips. She smiled into the kiss when she felt Regina's tongue swipe her lip, begging for permission.

"Regina, I exist!"

Zelena's voice sliced right through their heated kiss, effectively ruining the moment. Emma groaned at Zelena and feigned anger, giving Zelena a fake glare. Turning to Regina, she kissed the brunette on the corner of the mouth and frowned. "I want you to have a good time with your sister, okay? Take pictures of your cute nephew, I want pictures of you two!"

Regina smiled at the mention of her nephew. Emma always knew how to turn a sad departure into a happy one. The idea of seeing her nephew made her feel immensely happy inside. "Will do, dear. Do text me when you arrive home so I'll know you have arrived safely."

Emma rolled her eyes at Regina's protectiveness. "Will do, _dear._" She giggled at the glare that Regina sent her way. Kissing the brunette softly once more, she turned for the door. If she didn't leave now she never would. After waving a quick goodbye to Zelena she exited the house and sighed at the feeling of brisk air against her skin, the wind capturing her hair between its fingers.

Happy that there was no ice on the ground, she quickly ran to Granny's and ordered two hot chocolates with cinnamon to go. While she was waiting for her order, she heard the bell ring and she looked up._ Robin. _If looks could kill, Emma would be laying on the ground dead right about now. She cast her glance away and hid her discomfort when Robin took a seat right next to where she was waiting.

"What does Regina see in you?"

The question startled Emma. She had been expecting him to yell and cause a scene, not ask questions about their relationship he'd basically refused to acknowledge. "I'm not sure what she sees in me, but I'm sure it's close to what I see in her."

He turned to look at her. "And what's that?"

Emma almost laughed at his voice. His rough, accented voice did _not _match his Cartier watch and slicked back hair. She wondered if he was like this all his life and if he was like this when he didn't need to prove his worth to someone. "I think she is the most beautiful woman in the world. While her physical appearance is certainly pleasing, her soul is the most beautiful I've ever met. I love her more than anything. I want to provide for her, and show her the definition of happiness. I want to treat her better than her parents ever did and remind her every day of just how much she means to me. She's the most kind, caring, funny, and interesting woman I've had the pleasure of meeting," Emma stared at the ceiling when she said this, not noticing that she was smiling like an idiot or that the entire restaurant was staring at her.

"What if she chose me instead of you?"

_Pftt. As if that'd happen. _"She wouldn't. However, if she did, I would let her. Yes, I would fight for her, but if I believed that she would really be happy with you, I'd let her go. Her happiness is all that matters to me, Robin. I don't care about her money, or her past, or her demons. I love _her—_Regina Mills the person."

Robin almost looked moved for a minute, but then his face went back to the sorrowful expression it had been since he'd left the manor. He was going to reply, but he decided he'd better not.

"Two hot chocolates with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon!"

Emma quickly thanked and hugged Granny before bolting out of Granny's. She quickly rounded the corner and smiled at the view of her home. She'd left her key in the house, so she lightly tapped her foot on the door as she didn't have any free hands.

The door opened suddenly to a completely different apartment. Yes, the Christmas tree had been up since after Thanksgiving but the loft hadn't been covered in green and red streamers or mistletoe before. "Mom, what did you do?"

Mary Margaret beamed at her daughter. "I was bored while you were gone, so I decided to add some Christmas cheer to our home!"

If Emma hadn't known how much this meant to her mother, she would've laughed in her face, but instead she painted a smile on her face and handed her mom the cup of hot cocoa. "I got us hot chocolate from Granny's."

Mary Margaret smiled appreciatively and accepted the cup from her daughter, moaning at the taste of cinnamon. "Can I just say that it's cool how we're like twins?"

Emma smirked. She'd missed this about her mom. She'd almost forgotten that her mother was her best friend. "I do agree mom, it is pretty cool, except you're not gay."

"Oooh about that, tell me about Regina! What happened?"

Emma raised her eyebrow at her mother. "You _really _want to know?"

Mary Margaret looked wounded, and almost pouted. "Emma, of course I do," she whined, "You're my baby and I want to know everything that's going on." She moved to the couch and patted the cushion next to her. "Here, sit down. Tell mama everything."

Emma nodded and laid her head down on Mary Margaret's lap. Some nights they'd lay just like this and Emma would pour her heart out to the woman. She'd never found someone easier to talk to besides Regina and it comforted her knowing she had so many supportive people she could go to should she need to vent. "Her ex-boyfriend came over."

MM could feel Emma tense at the mention of said ex-boyfriend. She sighed and urged her daughter to continue, "And then what?" She let her hands run through Emma's soft curly locks. She knew it soothed her daughter, and it also made her feel useful during these talks.

"He tried to get her back. He said that she was his and that he was claiming her. I don't know why I got so jealous and possessive mom, I really don't." And she didn't. She didn't know why she considered Regina to be hers because she knew the woman wasn't an object that could be owned, but she didn't want to share.

"Well honey, it isn't irrational of you to be possessive and/or jealous. It's typical for two people in a loving relationship not to want people hitting on their significant other. It's natural to feel a sense of loyalty towards each other and to want to protect that, you're not alone."

Emma nodded against her mother's lap. She took comfort in these talks because they always made her see the bigger picture and realize she wasn't in fact crazy. "Mom?"

Mary Margaret knew there had to be more to the story so she simply squeezed Emma's hand to let her know she could continue.

"He's _super _rich. Regina's mom tried to set them up so she could be taken care of but she cheated on him and he still wants her. What if he is successful? What if he does a better job at taking care of her than me? What if I _can't _take care of her? I'm seventeen and I have no job and no money. He's so much better than me."

"Emma Ruth Swan, he is _not _better than you. Regina loves you, I can see it in her eyes. True love is unconditional. How much money you have shouldn't and does not matter to her, do you hear me? She loves you for you, as she should. Besides, you're a genius and I know you'll do something that'll help you make a ton of money." She chuckled and laughed harder when Emma joined in because they both knew it to be true.

"Thank you mom, I love you."

The two women sat in a comfortable silence until Emma drifted to sleep, soon followed by her mother.


	23. Chapter 23

Only two reviews to my last chapter? You guys bored or something? Enjoy x

Chapter 23

Emma woke up in her mother's bed and realized she must've carried them there. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced at the clock next to her to check the time. _5:45. _Groaning, she debated whether or not to wake up her mother so they could open gifts. In some foster homes, Christmas wasn't something they celebrated because there was no money for gifts or just because they didn't care enough.

She smiled to herself at the thought of sharing her first Christmas with her mother. She wasn't really excited about her new gifts, but she was excited to see the look on her mother's face when she opened the gifts Emma had bought for her. She was also excited about seeing her dad the next day and giving him her gift she'd gotten for him.

Deciding she was never going to go back to sleep, she gently shook her mother and laughed at the way she kept trying to cling to slumber despite the interruption. "Emma…sleep…"

Emma whined, "_Mooom, it's Christmas!" _Shaking her mother again, she laughed at the glare she sent her way. "I have to give you your gifts and we have to make hot chocolate and watch the snow fall." Her voice grew in excitement as she continued to speak, and she felt herself bouncing up and down in anticipation.

Mary Margaret looked at her daughter and tilted her head. It took her a while, but finally she realized the reason Emma was so excited and acting like a four year old was because she hadn't had this often, if ever. It hurt her heart to think about how neglected her daughter may have been and she felt a pang of guilt in her gut. Shaking her head, she sat up and put on her slippers and robe. "Let's go Emma, we have gifts to open!"

Emma almost squealed then remembered she was seventeen, not five years old. "Ok mom!" She pulled her hair up into a bun and padded her way to the Christmas tree which had what looked like a million gifts underneath it. Her eyes lit up and she wondered what her mom could've possibly bought her since she didn't hint at wanting anything.

Sitting down in front of the tree, she smiled when her mother handed her the first gift. Not even bothering to salvage the wrapping paper, she tore it off the box and opened it to find a brand new leather jacket. "Mom! This is the one I've been wanting for weeks, how'd you know?" She hadn't even told her mother she wanted the jacket.

Mary Margaret shook her head, "I didn't. I saw it while out shopping and I thought you'd like it. I'm glad you like it baby." She was so happy to know that she could give her daughter a good Christmas. She moved to hand Emma another box, and tried to hide her smile as she watched her daughter open it.

Emma opened the box to reveal a brand new iPhone 6. She nearly screamed; she'd been using her iPhone 4 since she was fifteen and she needed a new phone desperately. "Thank you so much mom!" She moved to hug her mother and when she pulled away her eyebrows knit in confusion when Mary Margaret pointed to the box.

"Emma, I think there's something else in the box."

Emma looked down in the box and saw another box, a larger one. Opening the box, she gasped when she saw a set of keys inside and nothing more. "Mom?"

Knowing what her daughter was asking, Mary Margaret nodded and prepared herself for the screams that would soon follow her nod. She nearly went deaf when she heard Emma's screams.

"MOM I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!"

Kissing her daughter's head, she whispered, "Anything for my baby. Your father will be over later to bring you your car and he's staying for dinner." As uncomfortable as it made her to have to see her ex again, she'd do it every day if that meant Emma would be happy.

A phone case, pair of boots, make-up kit, books, and a flat iron later Emma was super excited to give her gifts to her mom. "Mom, this first one comes from the heart. I saw it and thought it was so _you._"

Mary Margaret instantly knew what she was getting when Emma told her that. She opened the gift carefully (unlike Emma), and set the beautiful Snow White-themed paper to the side. Opening the box revealed a brand-new baby blue trench coat. MM gasped at the sight of the beautiful-colored coat. "Emma… this is exquisite."

Emma smiled brightly at her mother, glad to have made the right choice. Baby blue was about the only color her mother didn't own and she just knew her mother would find some place to wear it to. "I'm glad you like it mom. Here's your other gift mom."

When Mary Margaret opened the gift, she smiled brightly. It was a picture of her and Emma a few weeks after she'd taken her in. Emma had just started to open up to Mary Margaret and they'd decided to take a family photo together. It was in a beautiful, white frame with doves engraved. "Emma, thank you! It's beautiful!"

The two hugged each other tightly until Emma pulled away to go make her and her mom some hot chocolate with cinnamon. She was going to make egg nog, but she personally hated it and her mother didn't like that it contained alcohol. As she put the cinnamon on top of the whipped cream, she began to think about how happy she was. She had a loving mother, an amazing father, and the world's best friends. Then when she thought her life couldn't get any better a perfect girlfriend was added to the list.

"Emma?" Mary Margaret tended to be the one to pull Emma out of her thoughts when it came to Emma's daydreaming. She often found herself daydreaming, but not when she was performing tasks.

Emma snapped back into reality and smiled sheepishly at her mother. Padding across the room, she sat on the couch and carefully handed her mother the hot chocolate. They both turned around so they could look out the window and watch the snow fall.

When Emma got tired of doing that, she decided to set up her new phone. After transferring all 300 of her phone contacts in her phone, she decided to text Regina and see how her day was going.

**Emma{7:21}: Goodmorning Regina, Merry Christmas! **

She sat and waited a while knowing she'd get a response soon from her girlfriend. She put her brand new Snow White phone case on her phone that her mom had bought for her and smiled brightly at the ding that told her Regina had texted her back.

**Regina{7:22}: Merry Christmas, dear. I assume you've opened your gifts?**

Emma got excited all over again about her new car and phone. This Christmas had been a good one and she couldn't wait to tell Regina about it. She pouted, because today would be so much better if Regina were over.

Mary Margaret noticed Emma pouting and went to put her arm on her shoulder. Looking her daughter in the eye, she asked, "What's wrong sweetheart?"

Emma debated whether or not to tell her mother. She didn't want to risk hurting her feelings. Shaking her head, she mumbled "It's nothing."

"Emma, obviously it's something if you're saying it's nothing. Tell me what's wrong, maybe I can help?" She didn't want to pry, she just wanted Emma to smile.

Emma considered her options and decided to tell her mother even though she was pretty sure she couldn't help. "I miss Regina. That's all."

Mary Margaret nodded and rubbed Emma's back. She decided she could help.

When Emma finally went back to sleep, she grabbed her old phone and found Regina's number. Copying the number into her phone, she pressed call. The phone rang a couple times until a soft voice answered.

"_Hello, Regina Mills speaking."_

"_Hi Regina, this is Mary Margaret, Emma's mom. Merry Christmas."_

_Regina couldn't stop the concern that instantly bubbled to the surface. "What's wrong with Emma? Did something happen? Is she alright?" _

_Mary Margaret's heart warmed at the thought of someone caring so much about Emma besides her. It was endearing. "Regina, calm down, Emma's fine. I called because I have something to ask you."_

_Regina sighed in relief. "What do you need, Miss Blanchard?"_

"_Would you care to come over for dinner tonight? I know it is short notice, but Emma said she misses you and I want her to be surrounded by she loves on her first Christmas with me."_

_Regina smiled at the thought of Emma missing her. "I'm sorry Miss Blanchard but my sister and nephew are visiting me and—"_

"_Oh nonsense, bring them along as well! I'm sure I'll be cooking enough to feed an army anyway."_

_Regina weighed the pros and cons, but then realized there were none. She got to see her love, but also spend time with Emma's mother whom Emma loved more than anything. This also meant she didn't have to cook. "Alright, what time?"_

_Mary Margaret practically chirped in response. "6:00 is fine. Thank you for coming!"_

"_Thank you for having me. I will see you later, Miss Blanchard."_

"_Regina, it's Mary Margaret."_

_Smiling into the phone she said, "Very well then Mary Margaret. See you tonight."_

Hanging up the phone, Mary Margaret smiled. She debated telling Emma about Regina coming over, but decided to make it a surprise. She was so excited to see the smile on her face.

At around 5 p.m., David Nolan was coming from the car lot with Emma's car. He didn't live too far from Emma, so he drove her car to her home and decided he'd walk back to his house after having dinner. Part of him was excited to see his daughter and her mother, but the other half held dread. They hadn't formally discussed their situation and he had a feeling there would be an elephant in the room.

He smiled when he saw the apartment come into view and he pulled up to the street and honked the horn.

Emma was putting the finishing touches on the food when she heard a honk outside. Bewildered, she went outside to see what was going on when she caught sight of a white 2015 Kia Optima. "Mom. Mom. Oh my god." Emma was doing what someone would call freaking out.

David was now standing next to the car dangling the keys. Emma ran up to him and wrapped him in a bear hug. "Hey dad! Merry Christmas"

"Merry Christmas Emma!"

Taking the keys from his hand, she quickly hopped in the car. David got in the passenger seat and buckled himself in. Emma started the car and took a second to admire it. She loved the leather seats, how beautiful it sounded when it turned on, and everything about the car. She was in love with this car. She put the car in gear and steered into the road. She and her dad were enjoying the comfortable silence that came with a car ride.

"How do you like your car, Emma?"

Emma glanced at her dad for a moment and then back on the road. "I love it, dad. Did you and mom pick it out?"

He looked proud of himself for a moment. "Well, she asked me what I thought you'd like the most and I suggested this one. You mentioned it in a lab report once and it is a pretty nice car."

Emma agreed. She'd been dreaming about this car since it came out. "Well thank you daddy."

David beamed at the title of affection his daughter gave him. "I'm glad you like it."

Emma had finally made a full circle around the block and was relieved when she saw her house again. She loved her new car, but she was starving. When she pulled up to her house, she saw a black Mercedes that looked just like Regina's which only made her miss the woman more. She decided when she got in the house she'd text her right away.

"Emma, you alright?" her dad asked, having noticed her forlorn expression.

Nodding, she quickly unbuckled her seat belt and waited for her dad to get out of the car and shut the door. Locking her car, she more or less sprinted into her house.

"Mom, I'm back from the wonderful excursion of driving my new awesome car and I'm super hungry—" Emma stared into the living room and her gaze fell upon a certain Regina Mills with her sister and nephew. "Re-re-regina."

Regina looked at Emma and smirked. "Hi, Emma."

Emma stood in the doorway dumb-founded. She looked at her mother who smiled at her, "Emma, I invited Regina and her family over for dinner because you wanted to have everyone with you for Christmas. I hope that's okay?"

Emma nodded vehemently and went across the room to wrap her arms around the beautiful brunette Latina that was her girlfriend. For a moment, it seemed like it was just her and her girlfriend, so she leaned in a chastely brushed her lips against the older woman's, happy to be with her.

The two immediately broke apart at the sound of the door shutting behind David. "Emma, why are you kissing your teacher?"

All that could be heard in the deafening silence was the sound of Emma's body hitting the floor.


	24. Chapter 24

Hey guys, sorry for the delayed updates! I've been super busy with school and final exams, but now I have much more time to update! I hope you've enjoyed the last 24 chapters and I hope you enjoy the last few even more. This chapter focuses more on Regina, I hope you enjoy that. x

Chapter 24

"_Emma, why are you kissing your teacher?"_

David looked between his daughter and colleague, trying to differentiate between what was reality and what was not. His hands went up to his forehead as he looked at the two. _When the hell did this happen?_

"Emma, get over here. Now."

Emma looked between her girlfriend and her mother, and at her girlfriend's nod, she timidly walked over to her father. She'd never seen him angry before, but this wasn't something she wanted to see ever again. He was scary. When she walked over to him, he looked so angry she thought he might hit her.

David leaned closer to Emma and in a hushed whisper he said, "I don't agree with this, Emma. She's almost twice your age and—"

That Emma couldn't listen to, "Dad, she's nine years older than me. I'm seventeen, and she's twenty eight. I know it's a large gap, but plenty of couples have that large of an age gap…it's not just me."

David put his face in his hands as he tried to compose himself. Emma wasn't getting where he was coming from, and he needed her to understand that this wasn't natural. Teachers didn't normally date their students, let alone their _teenaged _students. "Emma, that's not my point. My point is that by being with you, she's taking advantage of you and I'm not okay with that." He raised his voice a bit which caused heads to turn, but he refused to acknowledge them.

Emma shook her head at him. "Daddy, I love you for worrying about me, but that isn't what this is. She was really hesitant at first, and I convinced her, plus I'm going to college soon. Regina needed someone to love her, and I needed someone to love…can't you be happy for us?"

When she saw him fighting himself internally she added, "I know it looks bad, but Daddy she makes me happier than you could ever imagine. With you, mom, my friends, and Regina I feel complete. She makes me feel whole. I know it's hard for you to understand let alone support, but it would mean the world to me if my two favorite people could get along."

She nervously watched the gears in his head turn as he fought to accept Emma and Regina's relationship. This was his little girl, and he didn't know how to deal with this, it wasn't in the parenting manual.

Finally, he nodded and gave Emma a kiss on the forehead. Turning on his heels, he walked across the room and stood in front of Regina who was at a loss for words.

Holding his hand out, he smiled slightly as Regina shook it back. "Call me David."

This gesture had Emma's jaw on the ground. She hadn't been expecting her dad to extend that privilege just yet, but if he was ready then she wouldn't oppose. She watched in awe as Regina genuinely smiled back at him and said, "You can call me Regina."

Emma caught her mother's eyes and they both smiled, Mary Margaret being so proud to have such a kind, loving daughter.

David awkwardly glanced around the room and shook hands with Zelena, bending on his knees to address Regina's nephew.

"Hey squirt, what's your name?" He earnestly looked into the child's eyes as if it were just him and the toddler in the world, no one else. Mary Margaret watched him curiously, her lips subconsciously curling into a smile.

The boy blinked at David and attempted to burrow his face into the crook of his mother's neck. Zelena lightly nudged him and pointed to the ever eager David, urging him to respond. Removing his thumb from his mouth, he shrugged.

David however was not deterred by this. He continued to smile at the boy, instantly putting him at ease. "Would it make you feel better if I told you my name first?" When the boy nodded, David continued, "My name is David Nolan, now what's yours?"

The boy seemed less shy now and he scooted out of his mother's lap. He held a tiny hand out and whispered "Roland."

David smiled a wide smile and looked at the rest of people in triumph. Mary Margaret beamed at him, glad to see he was still great with children. She felt a pang of guilt for having kept Emma's existence from him and for giving her away.

Zelena looked at David and smiled, "You know, no one and I mean _no one _has been able to get Roland to talk to them without some sort of candy or toy. I applaud you, David."

Regina and Emma shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Regina leaned over and whispered in Emma's ear, "That's Zelena's flirting face. Why on earth would she be flirting with your father?"

Emma fought the urge to laugh out loud. She knew Regina wouldn't admit it herself, but she loved drama as long as it didn't have to do with herself. She wanted to bring her girlfriend a bag of popcorn and 3D glasses, to be honest. Deciding to play along, she nudged Regina back and said, "_Her _face, look at my mom's."

The two averted their gaze to Mary Margaret who was staring at Zelena and David with her mouth wide open, not believing her eyes. Emma sensed her mother was in too much shock to cry, but she had a feeling she'd have to deal with a pouting Mary Margaret for the next week, which was more than she wanted to deal with.

"Regina, could you pass me the mac&amp;cheese please?"

Regina could tell David still wasn't 100% pleased with her, but it meant a lot to her that both of Emma's parents were trying. If her mother were alive, she'd have spent the rest of her life making Emma's a living hell, or she would've had Emma killed. But her _father, _her father would've welcomed Emma into his family with open arms.

She blinked her eyes, trying to somehow force the tears from rolling down her face.

"Uh…Regina?"

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat when she saw all eyes were on her. Never had she felt so…_naked. _She handed David the bowl and stood up from her chair. "Excuse me."

She had no idea where the bathroom was, so she exited the apartment. She didn't have the slightest clue as to where she was going, but she was going far from there. Part of her wanted to snuggle up with Emma and reminisce about her parents, but the other half of her wanted her to run far away from everyone she knew and cry for a while.

Regina walked for as long as her feet could carry her. She originally worried about being rude to Emma's family, but her longing for her parents grew greater and outweighed her need for courtesy. She walked until she ended up at the park, and she sat down on a nearby bench. Her mind flashed back to a moment she shared with her father.

_Henry Mills was taking his daughter to the park. She was five years old and he believed playing with other children and knowing the essence of fun was beneficial to his daughter's development. _

"_Henry, I do not understand why you insist on taking her to that germ-infested playground. What Regina needs is more piano and ballet lessons." _

_He gently told his wife, "Cora, I understand your concern, but Regina and I enjoy our time at the playground together. Maybe later she can have a piano lesson, but right now we need to go to the playground." Kissing his wife softly on the cheek, he gathered his daughter in his arms and headed out the door. _

_Henry loved his wife, she just sometimes lacked understanding when it came to having fun and being a child. Granted, he grew up in a wealthy family where there wasn't much time to do leisure activities, but he swore he'd never raise his child in that manner. He swore he'd show his children love and affection and that's what he did for Regina, and even Zelena. _

"_Daddy, I ready!" _

_He looked over at his little girl who smiled upwards at him. Beaming at her, he nodded. "Very well then, Princess. How about we get in the car?"_

_Once Regina got in the car, they drove all but five minutes before they arrived at the spacious park. Regina bounced up and down in her car seat, already anxious to go and run around. Henry chuckled at his daughter's antics and quickly got out of the car to unbuckle her._

_Once he unbuckled her, she scrambled out of the car and sprinted to the playground, not caring that she'd left her father behind. She raced for her favorite thing- the swings. Henry always had to push her because she struggled with the swings. Regina was short for her age and couldn't work up enough momentum to swing._

_Henry walked over to where he knew Regina would be and looked at her expectantly. When she didn't ask him to push her, he raised his eyebrow, silently questioning her. When she said, "Mírame papi", he folded his arms and did just as she requested. He eagerly watched Regina push her little legs forward and then backward just as he'd shown her. _

_Soon enough, she was actually swinging. Henry grinned widely at this and even laughed, his voice full of the pride he felt for his daughter. "That's my girl!"_

_When Regina felt she'd shown him enough, she stuck her foot on the ground to stop herself from swinging. Running up to her father, she accepted the bear hug he had for her. Henry kissed her softly on the cheek and whispered, "Te amo, Regina." _

_She whispered back, "Te amo más." _

Choking back a sob at the memory, Regina frowned when she realized she hadn't brought any alcohol. At least then, it'd be acceptable for her to be falling apart like she was now. She was happy to be alone, because if any of Emma's family had seen her like this she wouldn't have been able to show her face to them for a very long time—perhaps not ever.

Thinking of Emma, she kind of regretted leaving the way she did. Now, she was craving the comfort that Emma's arms provided. She wanted to cuddle with her girlfriend and perhaps cry softly into her shoulder. She wasn't expecting the firm grip that was placed on her shoulder.

Turning around swiftly, she saw said girlfriend staring back at her. Thanking whatever gods that existed, she stared into Emma's eyes. She smiled when she saw that it was not pity within those eyes, but simply love and admiration. All Emma wanted was for Regina to be happy and to understand what was making her so upset.

"Hi, Emma."

Emma made her way around the bench and took a seat next to Regina. She took one look at the brunette and offered her the hat she'd brought along and a pair of gloves. "I knew you'd be cold."

Regina gazed lovingly at Emma. Only she'd be so thoughtful. "Thank you dear."

"Wanna tell me why you left?" There was no malice in those words—only concern and love for Regina.

The teacher's gaze dropped down to her lap. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell Emma what was wrong, she just didn't want to seem ungrateful. Emma's wonderful family welcomed her into their home and she didn't want to seem irritating or ungrateful because she couldn't stop thinking about her parents.

Emma waited a second and took a guess. "Is this about your parents?"

Regina looked up at Emma, shocked. "How'd you guess?"

Emma shrugged her shoulders. "Whenever Christmas came for me, I spent the day crying. I always asked myself where my parents were and why they didn't want me. The Holidays are great when you have someone, but they're a bitch when you're by yourself."

Regina nodded. "I miss them so much, Emma."

Emma pulled Regina into her chest and rubbed the older woman's back soothingly. "I know you do, Regina, and I don't want you to feel bad for missing your parents. It's completely normal for you to, and if you need a minute, then that's what you'll get. Hell, if you need a fucking century, you can have it if that'll make you happy."

Regina laughed lightly at that and planted a kiss on Emma's jaw. "I love you Emma."

Emma nodded, "I know."

Biting back a grin, Regina poked Emma in the ribs and laughed at the way Emma crumbled over. "Okay okay, I love you too."

"You'd better."

Regina watched as the blonde rose from the bench and held out her hand to Regina. Looking at the blonde questioningly, she saw that she wasn't going to receive an answer right then and sighed. Standing up, she accepted the hand and got up to follow Emma.

When she saw where they were going, she had to fight back a few tears at the memories they brought back.

Having noticed Regina's change in her demeanor, she spoke, "You don't have to swing with me if you don't want to. I'm sorry."

Shaking her head, she sighed, "It's not that, Emma. The only person I've ever been on the swings with was my father, that's all." Considering her options, she offered Emma a small smile before saying, "You are special Emma, and I don't mind sharing the memory with both you and my father."

Smiling at that, she held onto Regina's hand and guided her to a swing.

"Hold on tight."

Glaring back at Emma, she felt a gentle push on her back from behind that sooner became even greater. Eventually, she was swinging high in the air. She hadn't even noticed she was laughing until Emma yelled, "You have a beautiful laugh, my queen."

"And you have a beautiful smile, my savior."

It was a joke they had. Emma's mother had a book called _Once Upon a Time _that they had both read together which had many coincidences. Because the Evil Queen was named Regina and that was a nickname Regina's students had given her, Emma would refer to her as _her queen. _Because the savior in the story's name was Emma who was also the daughter of Snow White who looked a lot like Mary Margaret, Regina referred to her as _her savior. _

Emma continued to push Regina on the swing, all bad thoughts forgotten. Now, they were just two women who were madly in love with each other laughing on the swings.


	25. Chapter 25

Hey guys, I'm happy you all seemed to enjoy the last chapter, so I'm going to update again. Whoever the guest was, you were right. Emma is eleven years younger than Regina. I'm not sure why I said nine, probably because I originally wrote Regina as 26, not 28. Any who, enjoy this chapter x Sad, to say but I'm writing three more and then you get an epilogue. No sequel, I want to move onto something else. Check on here for my new story! It should be put up a couple hours(no later) after this chapter is uploaded.

Chapter 25

The next few months after Christmas were the best Emma Swan had ever had. Not only had she and Regina been living happily as a couple, but her parents had started seeing each other. After the incident with Zelena and David, Mary Margaret admitted to David after one too many cups of egg nog that she still loved him and that she missed him.

It was weird for Emma to see her parents together, but if it meant her mom was happy, she couldn't complain. Things with Regina now were better than ever for her and she didn't know that life could be this good.

David had taken a while to come around, but Mary Margaret being Mary Margaret decided that Sunday dinners were a good idea to bring everyone together as a _family. _Regina would attend and bring a dish to pass and bond with Emma's mother over cooking and David over baseball games. Currently, they were all watching the Dodger's game. Mary Margaret and Emma were "watching", while Mary Margaret braided Emma's hair.

When the team scored a home run David and Regina dramatically threw their hands in the air and screamed "WOOOOOO". Emma and Mary Margaret watched while they both did a secret handshake that neither women had seen them create. Emma turned to look at her mother and watched as Mary Margaret shrugged.

The two didn't even notice their significant others looking at them during their zealous exchange and continued to watch the game earnestly.

By the end of the game, Regina was laughing with David about some epic fails the other team had as she stood by the door. Emma was kind of irritated because Regina hadn't spoken two words to her since she walked in the door.

Although David and Regina were in the middle of a very heated conversation about how awful the Padres were, Emma placed her hand over her father's mouth to silence him. "Daddy, why don't you go talk to mommy? After all, you are dating her."

David walked back to talk to Mary Margaret, looking like a dog with its tail between its legs. Throwing his arms around Mary Margaret, she nodded into his embrace and patted him on the back.

Regina looked at the couple and then back at Emma. "Care to tell me what that was all about Swan?"

Closing the door behind her, she folded her arms and glared at Regina. "Sorry to impose upon your heated conversation with your _boyfriend._"

Raising her eyebrows, she placed her hands on her hips. Reminding herself that this was her girlfriend and not Zelena, she realized she was going to have to talk this through instead of just giving her the silent treatment like she did Zelena. "Emma, as you know I am a person. As a person, I'm not blessed with super powers that include mind reading. I have absolutely no idea what is going on in that head of yours and would appreciate it if you could give me the slightest inkling of what is wrong with you. What have I done?"

Right now, Emma hated that even when she was mad at her, Regina still managed to me literate, calm, and collected. She picked the worst moments to make Emma swoon because of her perfection. Finding her feet very interesting, she mumbled "I'mjealousokay."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot understand you." She gestured toward her ear.

"I'm jealous okay? We don't bond over baseball games or baseball teams or even watch television together."

Regina couldn't believe her ears right now. She silently led Emma outside the apartment building and sat them down on a bench just outside the complex. "Emma, do you even like baseball?"

"No, but—"

Regina held up her hand to signal that she wasn't finished. "I do understand why you're jealous, but Emma you're my best friend. We may not watch _television_ together but I do recall spending several weekends cuddling on my couch watching Orphan is the New Black."

Emma rolled her eyes at her girlfriend, "You mean _Orange _is the New Black?"

Regina waved her hand at Emma, silently telling her she didn't care. "My dad always wanted to be a baseball player, but he hurt his shoulder. We'd always watch the game together and cheer for the Phillies and make fun of the Padres. Now that I'm with you, your parents are kind of like a second set of parents to me. I'm sorry if I've upset you, but it was nice to share something with your dad that I shared with my father once upon a time." She cursed herself when she felt hot tears glide down her face which seemed to never cease.

Emma immediately grabbed Regina and emphatically pulled the small woman into her arms. "Regina, I love you. If you need that special time with my dad, I would love it if you had it. I'm so sorry I was being childish. My family is your family, okay?"

When she felt Regina nod into her shoulder, she pulled back and planted a kiss on her hairline. Looking down at the time, she realized it was time for her to go back inside and for Regina to go home. "Babe, I have to go back in the house."

Regina nodded. "I love you darling."

Emma beamed at Regina and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips. "I love you too."

Regina got up to walk to her car and Emma slowly walked back into the building, not daring take her eyes off Regina the entire time.

That next morning, Emma smiled when she realized it was going to be warm. April was her favorite month she'd decided and she wanted to wear something cute for Regina. She got up that morning at 5:30 so she could straighten her hair and do her makeup. When she was finished with that, she entered her walk-in closet and tried to find something suitable to wear.

Deciding on an outfit, she quickly got dressed and styled her hair. Grabbing her bag and car keys from by the door, she set them on the couch and quickly went into the kitchen to make her parents some breakfast. They'd never officially discussed it as a family, but David usually stayed the night at the apartment. Apparently the police station was closer to the apartment than his own place, but Emma knew it was about the same.

Once she finished making the eggs and toast, she put on some coffee and left a quick note telling her mom and dad that their lunches were in the fridge and that she loved them.

Getting into her car, she turned it on and waited for it to defrost. When it was finished, she switched gears and pulled out of the parking lot. The school was a ten minute drive from her house so she turned on the radio.

_No no no no no, no place I'd rather be, _she sang along. Her and Regina loved Jess Glynne's music and would often find themselves listening to her songs. When Regina found out that she was going to be coming to Boston that fall, she kept finding ways to randomly bring it up when she and Emma were talking. As a birthday gift to Regina, she purchased the tickets the day after Regina mentioned them to her.

Pulling into the school parking lot, she found her and Regina's usual parking spaces and pulled up next to the black Mercedes-Benz. Because she had first period free, she decided to go spend it with her friends. Lately she hadn't been able to spend much time with them, so she was trying to amend that.

Walking into the commons she saw her friends and smiled when she saw Belle getting up to run and hug her.

"Emma, it feels like forever! And you look so cute oh my gosh!" Belle wrapped her arms around her best friend and squeezed, nearly suffocating Emma to death.

Patting Belle on the back she smiled, "Thank you and I know, and I'm sorry. I've been busy lately with family but I promise we'll hang out more okay?"

Nodding into her best friend's neck, she finally pulled away and grabbed Emma's hand to lead her to their table. When Emma arrived everyone screamed "Emma!" and "Hey Emma"s to her. It was times like these that reminded her that people really did love and care for her.

"Hey guys."

Of course, Ruby was the first to pull Emma into their current conversation. "Emma, sit down! We're talking about prom. Do you have a date?"

To say Emma looked like a dear in headlights would be an understatement. She looked at Belle who just shrugged her shoulders and back at Ruby and the rest of her friends in the group. She could see they were practically on the edge of their chairs waiting on an answer from her, but she didn't know what to say. She had forgotten all about prom, and learned early on in her life that she wasn't a very good liar. Actually, she was an _awful _liar and anytime she tried, people would end up laughing at her for even attempting to lie.

"I…"

Before Emma could even spit out a lie, Belle grabbed her arm and pulled her closer, "She's going with me! We were going to surprise you guys, but Ruby you sure do know how to pry!" She flashed a fake smile at Ruby that wasn't nearly as friendly as it could've been which caused Ruby to grin sheepishly.

Everyone at the table cheered and seemed to buy Belle's story, all except Ruby herself. She decided she would get to the bottom of this and when she did, she wasn't going to stop until Emma told her the truth.

The day went by slowly for Emma. She hadn't been able to catch a glimpse of Regina all day, so when 6th period finally rolled around she was incredibly happy. Except now, she was running late. Ruby had chosen to question her about what happened at the table and she had been forced to have a conversation about it.

"_Hey Emma," Ruby said. She leaned against a nearby locker and stared at her, not even waiting for Emma to acknowledge her presence. "I know you lied at the table."_

_Before Emma could respond she held up her hand, "Belle may be your date to the prom, but there's something you're not telling me. I just want you to know that whatever it is… I'll find out and __**soon**__." _

_Ruby looked at Emma, probably expecting Emma to come clean. Emma simply shrugged her shoulders and dared to look Ruby in the eye saying, "Go ahead, I haven't got anything to hide." Smiling at Ruby, she closed her locker and side stepped the brunette, quickly walking to English class, knowing that she was late. _

When Emma got upstairs to the English room, she wanted to die inside because the door had already closed and Regina looked engrossed in her teaching lesson. Opening the door as quietly as possible, she slipped in the classroom and cursed herself for picking a seat across the room. All eyes were on her, and she fought back a smile when she saw Regina undressing her with her eyes.

"Miss Swan, do you have a pass?"

Emma's entire face turned red as she stopped in her tracks, shooting Regina a pleading look. When she saw that her girlfriend wasn't going to let up, she ignored the sniggers she heard coming from Killian Jones and looked at the ground and mumbled, "No."

She made her way over to her seat and sat down, beginning to pull out binder. She listened as Regina gave the instructions for the homework. Writing down what she needed to do, she watched Regina's back side as she bent down to retrieve the class' monthly book analysis. Just like before, they had to pick a book to study and relate it to themselves.

"Honestly people, I'm a bit disappointed. As many of you are seniors, I'm sure you think that its acceptable to hand in subpar work because of your 'senioritis'", she paused allowing everyone to get their giggles out at the term she had used, "A lot of you have so much potential and I'd hate to see you do poorly this last quarter because you think that now is the time to slack off. Emma Swan was my only 100, and before spring break I had about 10-11 100's. Do try harder."

When she passed back the papers, everyone groaned when they looked at their grades. Emma and the valedictorian from the class of 2015 seemed to be the only ones who got A's. Killian Jones groaned dramatically and glared at Regina who couldn't help but notice the scowl on his face.

"Mr. Jones, what seems to be the problem?" She dared him to disrespect her.

Boldly, he scoffed, "I think you know what the problem is, love. You didn't give me a good mark, a mark that I rightfully earned." He rolled his eyes at her for good measure.

Placing her hands on her hips, she rolled her eyes back. "I highly doubt relating _James and the Giant Peach _to your own life is substantial work for an AP class. We've discussed what it means to be enrolled in an Advanced Placement class before, Mr. Jones."

You'd think that this would deter him from continuing to argue, but it just spurred him on. "What book did _Emma Swan_ pick, Ms. Mills?"

Regina saw where he was going with this and smirked. "The Grapes of Wrath, a phenomenal book and one of my favorites might I add. It is a college level book in comparison to a book I read to third graders whilst teaching at the elementary school."

Everyone in the class laughed, missing Killian when he mumbled, "Damn, what I would give to be shagging Ms. Mills…"

Regina however heard this and pulled the class out of their amusement with her voice. "Mr. Jones! You will see me after class!"

The whole class became silent and were attentive to Regina for the rest of the period. She continued to talk about the assignment and then gave them time to work on their homework. When the bell rang, she saw Emma trying to find a reason to stick around, so she called Killian over to her desk.

"Mr. Jones, I'll have you know that what you said today was not only disrespectful but completely out of line. Suggesting that I sleep with my student is a high accusation, and I do not appreciate them."

Killian hung his head, already regretting what he said. He didn't think she'd hear him and he didn't actually think they were sleeping together anyway. "I'm sorry Ms. Mills."

Regina shook her head, clearly not ready to accept his apology. Pulling out a white slip of paper, she wrote him a referral. "Please do take this to the assistant principal's office. Detention for the next week for half an hour each day. If you fail to give this to the office, I will notice and your punishment will be extended."

The boy reluctantly took the paper and stuck his tongue out at Emma who was now laughing at him. Walking out of the room, he decided to get it over with and bring the slip down to the office.

Emma got out of her seat and walked over to Regina. Regina took a minute to memorize Emma's outfit, loving every inch of it. The blonde had her hair straightened, and a brown owl necklace that Regina had given her on their 6 month anniversary. She wore a black crop top, high-waisted blue shorts, and white Birkenstocks. It gave Regina a glorious view of her long pale legs and the crop top showed off her flat, toned abs.

Emma smiled knowingly at Regina, "Like what you see?"

Regina nodded and brought the blonde in for a quick hug. They had to be careful because the door wasn't currently closed.

When Regina pulled away she noticed something in Emma's eyes that wasn't there before. "What's wrong, Emma?"

"What if we get caught?"

Regina shrugged her shoulders.

Emma's jaw dropped, she couldn't believe Regina was being so nonchalant about such a serious thing. She hit Regina on the arm, "I'm being serious. What are we going to do Gina?"

Ignoring the fact that Emma had just called her Gina, she chuckled. "Emma, my parents practically built this school. My father was also a philanthropist and put up more than half the money to build this school. They wouldn't fire me."

Emma nodded at this. She knew Regina's parents were wealthy, but moments like these really made it sink in. Not that she could forget it, because everything about Regina's clothes suggested that she was made of money. Today, Regina was wearing a Chanel chiffon blouse, a pair of black slacks that she was 100% sure were from banana republic, and a pair of black louboutins that Emma was sure could pay for her entire wardrobe.

"By the way Regina, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about. I have to go now so my friends don't get too suspicious, but can I come over tonight?"

Regina nodded and smiled at the thought of having a house guest that night. Although she had Emma over 3-4 times a week, she did get lonely and it was always nice to have someone there. "I'll see you afterschool.

Looking at her girlfriend, she smiled at planted a chaste kiss on the woman's forehead. When Regina asked her what it was for, Emma said "I just love you is all."

Regina hummed in response and smiled brightly at the blonde. Emma smiled back, both women unaware of the listener outside the door.


End file.
